As Australia considers taking in refugees as part of the Syrian refugee crisis, you may be wondering how you can help these families once they arrive in Australia. Relocation to a new country is a tough time for anyone, but fleeing a homeland because of war means that these families are having to start all over again with nothing. Keep these two thoughts in mind while you are considering what you can do to help.

Offering Employment

As a business owner, you may think you are doing the right thing by offering a refugee arrival a job so they can get back on their feet faster, but it is very important you first check what sort of visa they have before you extend this employment offer.

Not all visas granted to those who want to live in Australia include the automatic right to work here. As the employer, you will be fined if you hire a person who is not legally allowed to work even though you did so with the best of intentions. This fine can be over $100,000 per illegal employee. If you have vacancies in your business that you want to offer to newly arrived refugees, speak to an immigration lawyer about how you can go about sponsoring a person into a working visa.

Offering Housing

Offering accommodation to those in need is another way you can assist newly arrived immigrants, but there may be location restrictions on the visa of the new arrivals. In an effort to prevent too many overseas arrivals moving to the most populated cities in Australia, and putting a strain on the city infrastructure, some Australian visas carry conditions that stipulate where the visa holder can live. Living outside of those areas is a violation of the visa and could cause it to be cancelled.

Additionally, new arrivals need to be housed in a community where they have cultural support while they adjust to living in a new country. The best way to see if your available housing would fit these needs is to contact a humanitarian service that liaises with newly arriving immigrants, perhaps like this. They can give you further advice and put your property on the list if it is suitable.

Helping others settle in a new country is an admirable offer, but be sure your intentions are always done in accordance with their visa conditions. Seek professional legal advice before making any offers, and then you can be sure there will be no problems for you or the immigrant at a later time.