Time running out for the ADF's Afghan employees to get visas

  • 📰 SBSNews
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 37 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 18%
  • Publisher: 89%

Australia Headlines News

Australia Latest News,Australia Headlines

Australia's decade-long program that provided asylum for Afghan employees who worked for the Australian Defence Force is ending. The Afghan Locally Engaged Employee - or LEE - Program, has helped 900 former workers settle in Australia since its inception.

Australia's decade-long program that provided asylum for Afghan employees who worked for the Australian Defence Force is ending. The Afghan Locally Engaged Employee - or LEE - Program, has helped 900 former workers settle in Australia since its inception.But as that scheme draws to a close, there are still many former interpreters stuck in Afghanistan - who say their lives are at risk since the Taliban seized Kabul in 2021.

“Now that we have come to Australia, I see a bright future for my children and we also see a promising future for ourselves. We are happy.”Former Afghan employees first need to receive certification from the Department of Defence to prove they worked for the ADF.But there are some who still haven't received a certificate outcome.

The Department of Home Affairs is still processing 189 existing LEE applications, regardless of the program's closure.“For the ones they haven’t lodged or didn't have the opportunity to lodge or the fact that the Australian government did not expand the contractors in this process and abolished the program - In my view, Australia is turning a blind eye to its moral duty.”

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 3. in AU

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Vested interest groups putting themselves before Australia is a time-honoured tragedyAustralia is good at producing things, but it has excelled at producing vested interest groups that control key sectors of the economy.
Source: abcnews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »

Olive ridley turtle nest found on Australia's east coast for first timeAn endangered olive ridley turtle may have travelled close to 2,000 kilometres to nest on Queensland's east coast in a find described by renowned researcher Col Limpus as 'quite a phenomenon'.
Source: abcnews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »

Tax time in Australia: ATO reveals three common mistakes that could cost you7NEWS brings you the latest local news from Australia and around the world. Stay up to date with all of the breaking sport, politics, entertainment, finance, weather and business headlines. Today's news, live updates & all the latest breaking stories from 7NEWS.
Source: 7NewsSydney - 🏆 16. / 63 Read more »

Western Australia's Shark Bay seabeds are a ticking carbon time bomb, says scientistAustralia's zero greenhouse gas ambitions could be at risk if a vast reserve of carbon stored beneath the gin-clear waters off WA is released to the atmosphere, says a leading marine ecologist.
Source: abcnews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »

It’s time to bin Australia’s intrusive Incoming Passenger CardsAustralia is one of the few developed nations in the world still using paper arrivals cards, even for its own citizens. It can be an intimidating experience.
Source: brisbanetimes - 🏆 13. / 67 Read more »

‘Out for numero uno’: Anne Edmonds, Lloyd Langford take on TaskmasterCan Australia’s best-known comedy power couple survive the inspired silliness of Taskmaster Australia?
Source: theage - 🏆 8. / 77 Read more »