Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Exactly a year and a day ago, I stood in parliament and shared the story of Jan Ali Haidari, a Hazara Afghani refugee who arrived in Australia in 2011. I said of Jan:

He has been living in an endless cycle of uncertainty, with no way to plan for the future.

At that point, Jan had been staying with one of my constituents, Marian Hillam, for six years, as he waited for a permanent visa so he could bring his family to Australia. Now, Jan has been staying with Marian for seven years. He has now been separated from his wife and four children for 12 years. He's still waiting for any news about his visa. He's still in limbo. In the last year, Jan and his supporters at the Nedlands Uniting Church have asked repeatedly for updates on his visa status. But Jan is still one of the 6,680 people waiting for a Resolution of Status visa that was promised by the government back in March 2023.

There are another 9,000 people in limbo who are not part of the visa conversion process and still have no pathway to permanency. While I thank Minister Giles for his personal engagement, I strongly urge the government to commit the resources required so that people like Jan can finally have their Resolution of Status visas granted.

See this speech in context