An immigration lawyer says Labor is 'wiping its hands' of the problem.
The Home Affairs website states that there are no facilities capable of carrying out biometric tests - which confirm an applicant's identity and background - or conducting visa interviews in Afghanistan.
Military lawyer Glenn Kolomeitz, who has helped evacuate hundreds of former Afghan allies, confirmed he had been informed by Home Affairs officials that they would not consider applications from within Afghanistan. Neither the Department of Home Affairs or Immigration Minister Andrew Giles responded to requests for comment.But Home Affairs previously told SBS News that 31,500 Afghan nationals had been resettled, though did not clarify how many of those were already outside Afghanistan.
“[Background checks are] a legitimate security issue for Australia and we absolutely get that, but we've had these people as clients for years now. We have all of their documentation. They've had to destroy a lot of their documentation, [but] we have copies of it," he said. “They make their way there not knowing how long they're going to be there, and whether they're ever actually going to get an Australian visa from there," he said.In 2021, Australia closed a biometric testing centre in Dubai, which it used in the immediate aftermath of the fall of Kabul.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Albanese to visit Fiji in an effort to calm AUKUS concernsThe PM assures regional leaders AUKUS does not pose a nuclear proliferation risk; Biden says the US government ‘will do whatever is needed’ to protect depositors from the collapse of SVB. Follow updates here.
Read more »
Albanese's hope for 'peaceful' future as AUKUS submarines' eye-watering cost is revealedAnthony Albanese stood alongside United States President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to reveal the details of the nuclear-powered submarine deal, with one directly referencing China's 'assertiveness' in the Indo-Pacific.
Read more »
One for the ages: Albanese meets his moment on the world stageOn a podium adorned with their nation’s flags and a 115-metre Virginia-class submarine in the backdrop, the leaders of Australia, America and Britain marked a momentous new chapter in their alliance.
Read more »
Albanese goes all in on AUKUS as China forges ‘ring of steel’OPINION: Anthony Albanese is selling AUKUS as a vital investment in peace and jobs. China will be unpersuaded but it’s one Morrison government legacy that the PM is happy to embrace.
Read more »
Albanese is ‘Captain Nuclear now’: PM announces nuclear subs deal on warshipSky News host Paul Murray says he supports the AUKUS arrangements with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese standing on a warship “pretending to be Captain Nuclear now” despite his past opposition to “nuclear anything”. Mr Murray’s comments come as the Prime Minister, his British counterpart, and US President announced on Tuesday the planned nuclear submarines program for Australia. “Wasn’t it slightly funny that this old leftie from the 80s and 90s who you know, not a massive fan of nuclear anything, is standing on a warship pretending to be Captain Nuclear now,” he said.
Read more »