Ministerial Submission MS23-002455 Hamas-Israel Conflict - Visa Processing Update, Signed 13 December 2023​

Written by Claude Haiku 4.5 from the extracted text on 28 Feb 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

Between 7 October and 30 November 2023, the Department of Home Affairs processed a significant surge in Palestinian visa applications following the Hamas-Israel conflict, receiving 5,184 lodgements compared to 967 in the entire 2022-23 period. Approximately 90 per cent of applicants declared residential addresses in Gaza, where movement restrictions apply. The Department granted 2,072 visas to Palestinian nationals, predominantly Visitor visas (93.1 per cent), though only 206 visa holders had arrived in Australia by 9 December 2023. The submission confirms the Department applied a consistent prioritisation and assessment approach across Israeli, Palestinian, and Lebanese applicants—aligned with responses to conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan—prioritising support for Australian citizens and permanent residents within Migration Regulations. Most Palestinian applicants held family connections to Australia, typically extended family, organised in large family groups.