Close sites icon close
Search form

Search for the country site.

Country profile

Country website

Australia

Australia hosts almost 60,000 refugees and 80,000 asylum seekers. Most are from the Middle East or Asia. It’s estimated that 8,000 people are stateless.

UNHCR’s Office in Canberra promotes refugee rights in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

UNHCR supports Australia in developing national refugee legislation, increasing refugee status determination capacity, and introducing protection safeguards in immigration procedures. UNHCR also works with Australia on resettlement and building complementary pathways.

For over a decade, Australia has had offshore transfer arrangements with PNG and Nauru for those who seek asylum by boat. UNCHR advocates in relation to the legal and protection concerns of these arrangements and in seeking solutions for those remaining.

Additional information

For information about our work in Australia:

Help

Are you a refugee or asylum-seeker in Australia? Find information about your rights and available services on our HELP site.

Pale blue
Text color
White
Australia website

Visit the UNHCR Australia website for more information on our work in the area and the latest local news and stories.

Blue
Text color
White
Legislation and guidance

For legislation, case law and UNHCR policy relating to claims for international protection, visit Refworld.

Dark
Text color
White

Office contact details

UNHCR Representation in Canberra

Street Address:
14 Kendall Lane, 2601 Canberra, ACT, Australia
Mailing Address:
14 Kendall Lane, 2601 Canberra, ACT, Australia
Telephone:
Time Zone:
GMT + 10
Working Hours
Monday: 8:45 - 17:00
Tuesday: 8:45 - 17:00
Wednesday: 8:45 - 17:00
Thursday: 8:45 - 17:00
Friday: 8:45 - 17:00
Saturday: closed
Sunday: closed
Public Holidays:
03 January 2022, New Year's Day (observed)
26 January 2022, Australia Day
15 April 2022, Good Friday
18 April 2022, Easter Monday
25 April 2022, Anzac Day
03 May 2022, Eid Al-Fitr
11 July 2022, Eid Al-Adha (observed)
03 October 2022, Labour Day
26 December 2022, Christmas Day (observed)
27 December 2022, Boxing Day (observed)