Support agencies brace for asylum seeker influx

Posted

December 07, 2012 07:10:22

Support agencies are facing increasing pressure on their services as the Federal Government releases large groups of asylum seekers from detention.

Almost 1,000 people were released from detention centres into community placements yesterday.

Among them were 423 immigration detainees who were flown from Darwin to Melbourne and Sydney to be accommodated in the community under a new visa system.

Their claims for asylum are still being processed.

Some of them arrived in Australia after offshore processing was revived in August and they will not be allowed to work while living in the community.

The Immigration Department is relying on a number of agencies, including the Australian Homestay Network, to find places for them to live once they are out of detention facilities.

The network’s executive chairman, David Bycroft, says 600 asylum seekers have already been placed as lodgers this year.

“I think we’re going to be having a very high demand over the next 12 months for programs like ours to help in a low cost way, and depending on the goodwill of hosts, get these people… a helping hand,” he said.

While under the new visa arrangements asylum seekers will not be permitted to work, Mr Bycroft says there are still ways people can keep busy.

“We’ve got a team of people working on a solution now where we will have some meaningful activities for the asylum seekers to do while they’re in process,” he said.

“We’re assuming the working rights are only suspended while they’re an asylum seeker moving towards a legitimate refugee process.”

Topics:
refugees,
federal-government,
welfare,
darwin-0800,
australia

Source Article from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-07/support-agencies-brace-for-asylum-seeker-influx/4414056

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