Key Points
- Since 24 February 2022, nearly 11,400 Ukrainian visa holders have arrived in Australia.
- Many on three-year humanitarian visas (subclass 786) are uncertain about being able to secure their futures.
- Despite obstacles, some community members have started their own businesses.
When Alyona* (full name withheld) fled Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, she and her family were plunged into uncertainty.
“We survived - like many Ukrainians - a very, very hard trip from Eastern to Western Ukraine. It was absolutely impossible, a huge flow of people moved in complete madness without gas, food, sleep … because everyone fled in terror,” she told SBS Russian.
Firefighters extinguish a fire after a Russian attack on a residential neighbourhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on 10 February, 2024. Source: AP / Yevhen Titov/AP/AAP Image
Two years later, the devastated city still experiences repeated attacks by Putin's army.
Of the 4.8 million people globally granted refugee status in 2022, 3.9 million were Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country, according to an published by the Refugee Council of Australia.
Alyona, her three children and husband arrived in Sydney in March 2022 and were met by her sister. Under martial law, men with three or more children in their care are allowed to leave Ukraine.
At that point, Australia had not announced its humanitarian visa program for Ukrainians.
“At first, it was unclear how we could transfer from the visitor visa to another one, but all the decisions were made after some time, all priorities defined. Australia gave us the opportunity to live and work, with all the services. And we are very grateful,” Alyona said.
An anti-war rally in Martin Place, Sydney, in February 2022. Source: SBS
Nearly 11,400 Ukraine visa holders have since arrived in Australia. People with three-year humanitarian visas (subclass 786) have access to work, study and Medicare but cannot leave the country without special permission.
Now the children of Ukrainians who fled to Australia go to local schools. Many parents have found jobs and improved their English, while some have opened their own businesses.
But they face an uncertain future.
(There is) only one year of our legal stay here left. Nobody knows what to do after that.Alyona
"Our Kharkiv is constantly being bombed. My office was destroyed. There is absolutely no hope to go back there safely with kids," Alyona said.
She said that at nearly 45 years old she was worried she wouldn't be able to transfer to a working visa.
After almost two years in Australia, she said her children had also become used to the country, its language and schools, and they had made friends.
The sails of the Sydney Opera House are lit up in the colours of the Ukrainian national flag in March, 2022. Source: AAP / BIANCA DE MARCHI/AAPIMAGE
Will the government provide visa extensions?
According to a Department of Home affairs spokesperson, Australia, "continues to progress visa applications from Ukrainian nationals as a priority, particularly for those with a strong, personal connection to Australia".
From 8 April until 31 July 2022, the Australian government made an offer of a temporary humanitarian stay to Ukrainians in Australia.
"Ukrainian citizens in Australia who were unable to accept the offer by 31 July 2022 may be able to access other visa options, including the skilled, family, student and visitor visa programs," the spokesperson said.
"Ukrainians who are unable to access those visa options or cannot return to Ukraine may apply for a Bridging E (subclass 050) visa (BVE) or a Protection (subclass 866) visa," the spokesperson added.
Nadezhda Zdelnik, an immigration agent based in Sydney, said it was currently unclear if Ukrainians on humanitarian visas (786) would be offered an extension or be able to transition to permanent residence in the future.
“In March, when the budget is developed and announced, we will have an understanding of whether additional funds will be allocated for humanitarian programs,” Zdelnik said.
She said Australia usually looked at what other countries were doing in terms of programs for refugees and humanitarian immigrants.
The closest country is New Zealand, we have pretty similar legislation. But New Zealand has already offered Ukrainians transition to permanent visas if they meet certain requirements.Nadezhda Zdelnik, immigration agent
She emphasised that many Ukrainians were unable to switch to a work visa due to age restrictions or English language level. However, according to Zdelnik, Ukrainians will be given priority when applying for a working visa.
This month, the UK government announced that from early 2025, all those in the UK under one of the Ukraine visa schemes would be able to apply to stay in the country for an additional 18 months with the same rights to access work, benefits, healthcare and education.
"This will mean that those who came on the first visas under one of the Ukraine visa schemes could now stay in the UK until September 2026," a message on the UK government website reads.
Ukrainians moving to Australia since 2022. Credit: Department of Home Affairs
Rental crisis issues
Zoia Douglas runs Blue Peony Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation based in Sydney which helps Ukrainians who fled the war.
The foundation started by providing newcomers with food and clothes, before adding English lessons and community events last year.
Douglas said Ukrainians in Australia were still in limbo.
“Yes, they now live in a safe, free country. But it’s very difficult for them to make plans for the future because they don’t know if they can stay here or not. Even if they find a job, their employers look at them and they are not sure if they want to invest more in employees who may have to leave the country in a year,” she said.
Another problem for families on humanitarian visas was finding housing, Douglas said.
When Alyona and her family received notice to vacate from their first rental property, they struggled to find a new place. Finally, they found a house to live in, but only through a lease transfer from another Ukrainian woman, and only for six months.
“It was very stressful. We applied to all the properties we saw and offered to pay more, but no one approved our applications. I think the fact that our visas end in a year could be one of the reasons,” she said.
According to Douglas, her foundation has received many requests from people on humanitarian visas seeking help in convincing real estate agents of their reliability.
“People come to us because they want us to give them reference letters. Without these documents, I think it’s hard for them to enter a list of successful candidates on the rental market,” Douglas said.
How do Ukrainians contribute to the economy?
Despite obstacles, some Ukrainians in Australia have found ways to start their own businesses.
Valentina Odarushenko at SBS Studios in Sydney, 2024. Source: SBS
After leaving Ukraine, Odarushenko moved to Poland, but she said it wasn’t the right place for her.
“After a month in Poland, I realised that I needed to go on. Poland was (crowded) with Ukrainians, there were no jobs. And I still needed to pay for food and housing. I applied for visas in different countries, and Australia was the first country to grant me one,” she said.
Moving to Australia was not easy, with Odarushenko saying her low income and living standards reminded her of her student days 15 years ago.
Despite this, she launched a project with a partner to offer psychological support to other women from Ukraine, while looking for other ways to use her expertise.
This photo was taken when Odarushenko had just come to Australia in April 2022. Source: Supplied
“In August 2023, I found an admin job in a beauty salon here. I told the owner that I had opened a beauty salon in Ukraine, and soon she offered for us to start a business together. She had wanted to open more salons, but she didn’t live in Australia. So, she needed a partner,” Odarushenko said.
She said she struggled to rent a space for her salon, as property owners always asked her about her immigration status.
“I looked for a place for four-five months and received nothing but refusals. Before the new year, I came to inspect a premises that I really liked, and took my boyfriend, who has Australian citizenship, with me. After this, the process began,” Odarushenko said.
The next step was to find the money. According to Odarushenko, Australian banks didn’t want to give her a loan, but eventually she found an investor in her community.
Now Odarushenko said she was looking forward to the opening of her new beauty salon in Bondi Junction, Sydney, in April.
Returning home a 'huge stress'
Many Ukrainians in Australia are calling for greater clarity from the federal government about a potential pathway to permanent residency after their 786 visas expire.
Alyona said she and others wanted certainty so they could establish their new lives here and contribute to the Australian community and economy.
Ukrainian workers clean debris of damaged buildings on the site of a missile attack in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 24 January 2024, amid the Russian invasion. Source: EPA / Sergey Kozlov/EPA/AAP Image
“There is a possibility to go back to another part of Ukraine, but it will be a huge stress. It is still a country in a state of war, and you need to start everything from the beginning," Alyona said.
"And this life from the beginning … I have no idea how to build it."
