Asylum seekers set for Australia as processing centres fill up
Australia’s offshore processing centres have become overwhelmed by asylum seekers which sparked a change in policy yesterday. The bridging visa means that once Nauru and Manus Island are at capacity – which isn’t far away – asylum seekers will be sent to mainland Australia.
Nauru and Manus Island will accommodate 2,100 asylum seekers when at full capacity, however over 7,000 have arrived since the new Pacific Solution was announced in August. It’s impossible to transfer them all offshore so moving them into the community is the Government’s next solution. However they will have limited financial funding, no access to employment and will not be allowed to bring their family over. The ‘no advantage’ principle also had a change meaning that asylum seekers must wait indefinite periods of time for a visa, for as long as they would have if they had waited offshore to be processed.