The Australian Government has delivered funding to the Red Cross, to assist with emergency relief and casework support for temporary visa holders.

With the support of above, Red Cross is able to provide one-off, limited amounts to help people with essential needs like food, medicine and accommodation costs.

Sikh Community Connections has partnered with Red Cross, to finalise the details and expand assistance to people who are experiencing significant vulnerability.

Here is some information from the Red Cross, about eligibility and how you can get help.

Who is eligible?

These funds are for people on temporary visas who have no way to support themselves and who have urgent needs.

Because so many people are facing financial difficulty, the Red Cross has to help those with the most urgent needs first. This includes:

  • people who cannot afford basics like food and medicine
  • families with young children, people with a disability, people who are experiencing harm, people who are vulnerable to COVID-19, and people with physical or mental health issues
  • people who cannot access Centrelink, Medicare or other services
  • people with no income, savings or other financial support

Before you start your application you will need:

Evidence of your current or most recent visa status such as your passport number or immi card number. If you are uncertain, please put in an application and we will call you to discuss.

Evidence of financial hardship:

  1. all adult members of the family must submit a current bank statement dating back one months from the date of application.
  2. if you have regular transfers to another bank account you will need to provide a bank statement for that account
  3. screenshots are acceptable only if they show your name, account number and address.

What should I do?

If you think you may be eligible, you can fill the ONLINE APPLICATION

After you submit your application, send us an email at sikhccaus@gmail.com with your Application ID, Date of submission and your Full Name

We will then get in touch with RED CROSS and get the application prioritised.

More information is available on RED CROSS website