Australia resettled approximately 5,500 Bhutanese refugees through its Humanitarian Program between 2008 and the early 2020s, becoming the third-largest receiving country after the United States and Canada. Bhutanese refugees were settled primarily in major cities across multiple states, supported by settlement service providers such as AMES Australia and Settlement Services International (SSI).
Australia resettled approximately 5,500 Bhutanese refugees through its Humanitarian Program between 2008 and the early 2020s, making it the third-largest receiving country in the third-country resettlement program. Bhutanese refugees were granted permanent residence upon arrival under Australia's offshore humanitarian visa categories, primarily the Refugee (subclass 200) and related visas. The resettlement was coordinated by the Australian Department of Immigration (now the Department of Home Affairs) and implemented on the ground by contracted settlement service providers including AMES Australia, Settlement Services International (SSI), and other organizations across the country.[1]
Australia's participation in the Bhutanese resettlement program reflected the country's long-standing commitment to its Humanitarian Program, which has resettled hundreds of thousands of refugees since the post-World War II era. The Bhutanese cohort was distinctive in several respects: the refugees came from a single, well-documented refugee population in Nepal; the majority were Hindu and Nepali-speaking in a country that had primarily resettled refugees from other backgrounds; and the community arrived with relatively strong social cohesion, with many extended families resettling together or in close succession. The Bhutanese Australian community has since become one of the more established newer refugee communities in the country.[2]
Since the formal resettlement program wound down, a secondary wave of Bhutanese migration to Australia has continued through the skilled migration program, with Bhutanese individuals — including some who were originally resettled in other countries — applying for skilled worker visas. This post-2022 wave has added to the community's growth and diversified its composition.
Australia's Humanitarian Program
Bhutanese refugees entered Australia through the offshore component of the Humanitarian Program, which allocates places for refugees referred by UNHCR. Unlike some other resettlement countries, Australia grants permanent residency to humanitarian entrants from the outset, providing immediate access to the full range of settlement services and social benefits available to permanent residents. This includes Medicare (universal healthcare), Centrelink payments (income support), and access to public housing waiting lists. The permanent residency status also provides a pathway to Australian citizenship after four years of residence.[1]
The processing of Bhutanese refugee cases was conducted in Nepal by Australian immigration officials in coordination with UNHCR and IOM. Australia selected cases based on its own assessment criteria, with a focus on protection needs, family composition, and settlement prospects. The Australian program was smaller in scale than the U.S. program but operated with a relatively high level of per-capita support during the initial settlement period.
Settlement Services
Upon arrival, Bhutanese refugees were enrolled in the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP), which replaced the earlier Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy (IHSS) in 2017. The HSP provided case management, accommodation support, orientation to Australian life, English language referrals, and connections to employment and education services. Key settlement service providers that worked with the Bhutanese community included AMES Australia (primarily in Victoria), Settlement Services International (SSI, primarily in New South Wales), MiCare and Access Community Services (in Queensland), and various agencies in other states.[2]
The Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) provided up to 510 hours of free English language tuition to eligible humanitarian entrants, a critical resource for Bhutanese refugees who arrived with limited or no English proficiency. The Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) program provided longer-term case management for refugees who needed ongoing assistance with housing, employment, education, and community participation beyond the initial settlement phase.
Geographic Distribution
Bhutanese refugees were resettled across multiple Australian states and territories, with the largest concentrations in New South Wales (particularly western and southwestern Sydney), Victoria (Melbourne's southeastern and western suburbs), Queensland (Brisbane, Logan, and Toowoomba), South Australia (Adelaide's northern suburbs), and Tasmania (Hobart and Launceston). Smaller communities were also established in Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory.[3]
As in the United States, secondary migration within Australia has reshaped the initial distribution. Some Bhutanese refugees moved from smaller regional centres to larger cities to access better employment opportunities and be closer to larger Bhutanese communities, while others moved from expensive capital cities to more affordable regional areas. The Logan area south of Brisbane became a significant hub for the Bhutanese community in Queensland, while the suburbs of Dandenong and Casey in Melbourne's southeast attracted a large Bhutanese population in Victoria.
Post-2022 Skilled Migration Wave
Beginning around 2022, a notable wave of Bhutanese individuals began arriving in Australia through skilled migration pathways rather than the humanitarian program. This included Bhutanese nationals applying from Bhutan itself as well as members of the Bhutanese diaspora in other countries — including some who had been resettled as refugees in the United States or Canada — who applied for skilled worker visas to relocate to Australia. Australia's demand for workers in healthcare, aged care, hospitality, and other sectors created opportunities that attracted Bhutanese migrants with relevant qualifications and experience. This skilled migration wave has added several thousand additional Bhutanese residents and has created a community that is now composed of both humanitarian entrants and economic migrants.[4]
Community Integration and Organizations
The Bhutanese Australian community has established numerous organizations at the local and national level, including the Bhutanese Australian Association and various state-level community groups. These organizations coordinate cultural events, religious celebrations, youth programs, and advocacy activities. Hindu temples and community halls serve as gathering places, and annual celebrations of Dashain, Tihar, and other festivals are significant community events. Bhutanese Australians have also engaged with broader multicultural structures, participating in local government multicultural advisory committees and settlement planning processes.[5]
Integration outcomes for Bhutanese refugees in Australia have been generally positive. Employment rates have increased steadily over time, with many Bhutanese Australians working in manufacturing, food processing, aged care, cleaning, and transport. A growing number have pursued vocational training and university education, and the second generation has entered Australian schools and universities in significant numbers. English language proficiency has improved markedly, although older refugees continue to face language barriers. The community has benefited from Australia's universal healthcare system, which has provided access to medical and mental health services that might otherwise have been financially inaccessible.
Challenges include the high cost of housing in Australian cities, particularly Sydney and Melbourne, which has created financial pressure on families. Some Bhutanese refugees have reported experiences of discrimination, particularly in employment settings. The distance from the larger Bhutanese diaspora in the United States has created a sense of isolation for some community members, although digital communication has helped maintain transnational connections.
References
- Australian Department of Home Affairs. "Humanitarian Program Statistics." https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-statistics/
- Australian Department of Home Affairs. "Humanitarian Settlement Program." https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/settling-in-australia/sets-program/
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. "Census of Population and Housing." https://www.abs.gov.au/census
- Australian Department of Home Affairs. "Visa Holders Statistics." https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-statistics/
- Australian Department of Social Services. "Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS)." https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/settling-in-australia/sets-program/
Contributed by Anonymous Contributor, Melbourne, Australia
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