Emergency supports are available for international students and people on temporary visas who are not eligible for Commonwealth income support. The Extreme Hardship Support Program payment is here to help meet basic needs, such as food, medicine and bills. All international students experiencing financial hardship can now apply for the payment, even if they received assistance through the International Student Emergency Relief Fund.
The Extreme Hardship Support Program is provided by the Victorian Government, with Red Cross and the Brotherhood of St Laurence. All international students experiencing financial hardship can now apply for the payment, even if they received assistance through the International Student Emergency Relief Fund.
What support is being provided?
- Assistance provided will primarily be in the form of cash payments into bank accounts.
- From 1 October 2020 a single person can receive up to $800 for their first application and may be able to apply for another payment after two months if they are still experiencing financial hardship. Families may receive more, based on the number of people in the family and individual circumstances.
- The program is available to assist people experiencing hardship due the coronavirus pandemic, and is expected to finish some time before June 2021.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible, applicants must:
- live in Victoria, and
- not be eligible to receive income from the Commonwealth Government (such as JobKeeper or JobSeeker), and
- have zero or very limited income, savings or community support, and
- be a temporary or provisional visa holder, or an undocumented migrant.
How do people apply?
To apply for emergency financial assistance people should go to the Red Cross website at https://www.redcross.org.au/vicrelief or call Red Cross on 1800 855 240. Interpreters are available to assist in any language.
What information do people need to apply?
- An email address.
- Evidence of financial hardship (including recent one month bank statements).
- Evidence of their current or most recent visa status, such as a passport number or Immi card number.
- Bank account details (BSB and account number).
If applicants do not have a bank account or any of the other details listed above, please call Red Cross on 1800 855 240 to talk about alternatives. Red Cross will not report personal or visa information to the government.
What is the role of community organisations?
Brotherhood of St Laurence has been engaged by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Red Cross to lead a network of community partners.
Community organisations already providing assistance to people ineligible for Commonwealth Government income support are invited to join the network.
Community organisations who opt into the network can receive updates on supports available for people on temporary visas and develop collaborative links to strengthen sector responsiveness to people living in Victoria on temporary visas during the pandemic.
Where do we find out more?
For more information about joining the network, please contact the Brotherhood of St Laurence on (03) 9422 5650 or by email at mct.reception@bsl.org.au.
For more information about the payments, please visit the Red Cross website at https://www.redcross.org.au/vicrelief call 1800 855 240
