Key Points
- Dozens of Afghans who helped the ADF are still without humanitarian visas to come to Australia.
- A community leader says Australia has a ‘moral obligation’ to assist them to find asylum here.
- Since 2012, 3,267 people including almost 900 former Locally Engaged Employees have been resettled in Australia under a migration scheme which closed one year ago.
The Afghan Locally Engaged Employee (LEE) program was established in 2012 and has helped almost 900 Afghan interpreters and other workers gain asylum following their work with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in Afghanistan.
While the program ended on 31 May 2024, dozens of LEEs in Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries are seeking an outcome to their Australian humanitarian visa applications.
Among them is Ahmad*, who worked as an interpreter with the ADF in 2009 and 2010 in the province of Uruzgan.
After his work with the ADF, he decided to continue his studies, earning a bachelor’s degree from Kandahar University in 2016.
However, when the security situation in Afghanistan deteriorated due to the Taliban’s capture of Kabul, Ahmad applied for certification as an Afghan LEE, which was approved by Australia’s Department of Defence in June 2024, which cleared the way to apply for asylum.
He’s now calling on the Australian government to urgently finalise his application.
“Our request to the Australian government is to process our applications and rescue us from Afghanistan as soon as possible,” he said.
“If the Australians don’t help us, it will be their failure, because we stood shoulder to shoulder with them and were their friends.”
Due to his work history with the ADF, Ahmad said he was facing serious threats in Afghanistan.
He is living in hiding, constantly changing locations, and says he feels “abandoned”.
I cannot live a normal life because I am constantly at risk. Death is better than living like this.
Ahmad*
“Our lives are 100 per cent at risk here in Afghanistan.
“They haven’t asked for a medical check or biometrics and they haven’t advised me to leave the country. If they tell us to go to Pakistan or Iran, we will go, but they haven’t informed us yet.”
‘Overjoyed’ to finally receive a visa
Ali* worked as a labourer with the ADF in the Deh Rawood district of Uruzgan from 2009 to 2011, before working as an interpreter in Tarin Kot in 2012 and 2013.
He said he and his family were “overjoyed” when they received news that he had been granted a Special Humanitarian Visa (Subclass 201) on 14 May after a seven-year wait.
Ali* in Iran. Credit: Ali*
Now, he is waiting for his flight to Australia to start a new life.
“All members of my family — my mother, brother, and sisters — were aware of the difficulties I was facing in Afghanistan,” he said.
“When I got the visa, my family and wife were very happy and thanked the Australian government for granting it.”
While Ali is happy to start his new life with his wife and two children, he said he remains concerned about his colleagues still in Afghanistan and waiting for Australian visas.
Ali* (left) in Uruzgan, Afghanistan. Credit: Ali*
“If no attention is given to them, they may face serious consequences. I had similar bad experiences, I was jailed and accused of working with foreigners,” he said.
“My request to the Australian government is to also pay attention to our colleagues. If not, the outcome could be fatal.”
‘Australia’s moral obligation’
Afghan Locally Engaged Employee (LEE) Alliance deputy head, Hamid Ezat says that there are many certified Afghan LEE currently stranded in Pakistan and Iran, waiting for their visas to be granted.
Meanwhile, many more remain in Afghanistan hoping to be certified under the LEE program.
He added that after certification, they often needed to go to a another country such as Iran or Pakistan but obtaining visas was a difficult and costly process.
In addition, those LEEs who were abroad were facing severe financial hardship, expired visas and a constant fear of deportation, he said.
All Afghan nationals who have no legal documents to stay or those holding Afghan Citizen Cards have been warned by Pakistan authorities to return home or face deportation.
Thousands of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, including many awaiting the outcome of humanitarian visa applications to Australia, are facing arrest and deportation as authorities began their crackdown at the start of April.
“Usually, the local government authorities in Pakistan don’t give credit to assurance letters [issued by the Australian embassy in Pakistan] given to certified Afghan LEEs to avoid their deportation,” Ezat said.
“Once a visa is granted, the process of getting exit permits and travel facilities to Australia is longer and complicated which adds further stress to Afghan LEEs.”
Ezat stressed that the Australian government had a duty to protect Afghan LEEs who were now at risk of persecution under the current regime in Afghanistan.
“It is Australia’s moral obligation to provide safety and freedom to those who supported and worked for the Australian mission in Afghanistan,” he added.
“They are subject to prosecution and deprived of their democratic rights in Afghanistan under the current ruling government in Afghanistan.
“The Australian government, especially DFAT, AFP and ADF should expedite processing of all the applications lodged for Afghan LEE certification which should have been finalised by 31 May 2024.”
‘Remain a top priority’
Between 2012 and January 2025, a total of 899 certified Afghan LEEs were granted Class XB visas.
Of those, 817 have already arrived in Australia. Including their immediate family members, 3,267 individuals connected to certified Afghan LEEs have been resettled in Australia.
A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson told SBS Pashto that the department “continues to prioritise humanitarian visa applications from certified Afghan Locally Engaged employees and their families”.
“Applications are generally acknowledged in writing and processed as quickly as possible according to their date of receipt.
“Processing times can vary according to the capacity of the Humanitarian Program, the particular circumstances of the applicant, their location (be it inside or outside their home country), and their ability to travel, provide documents or access to Australian government officials.
“All Humanitarian Program visa grants are subject to rigorous assessment, including health, character and security checks, which are conducted before individuals are granted a visa. These checks can take some time.”
A Department of Defence spokesperson told SBS Pashto: “The Government is committed to finalising all certifications and visa applications for Afghan Locally Engaged Employee (LEE) and their families as soon as possible.”
It is understood that the department has certified more than 1,100 applications under the Afghan LEE program from people employed in roles including but not limited to interpreters, service providers (for example, cooks, cleaners, labourers and security guards), construction workers, and mine clearance workers.
To meet its commitment to Afghan LEE applicants, it is also understood that the department has increased resourcing and will not close the program until all cases have been assessed and finalised.
*name changed for privacy reasons
