Ali* arrived to Australia in 2010 to seek asylum, having fled the violence of his village in Afghanistan. In December 2016 he was found to be a refugee and granted a SHEV. By the time he had been granted a SHEV, Ali had found work in the construction industry in Perth. By this time, he had been living in Perth for four years, was accessing the mental health supports provided by a refugee support agency, had limited English language skills, and needed to continue to access employment so that he could send remittances to his wife and children living in an increasingly dangerous situation in Afghanistan. There were no supports provided to assist him to find work in a designated SHEV regional area.
Ali has had no choice but to remain living and working in a non-SHEV region. He is now unable to meet the SHEV pathway.
However, even if Ali did meet the SHEV pathway, as he is now over 45 and would not meet the university-level English requirements, he will be unable to attain any of the current skilled visas available for SHEV holders. This means he will not be able to apply for his wife and children to join him after nine years of living apart, and they will continue to live in danger in Afghanistan.
*not actual name
We all need our families 