Afghanistan: Almost 700 Afghan assistants to gain Australian visas
The defence minister has deemed 677 applications from Afghans who helped Australian forces are eligible for humanitarian visas.
The department processed more than 1600 applications for the visa, which is granted to locals who worked for Australia.
More than 500 applications were deemed ineligible, more than 350 were closed when applicants pulled out and 70 are outstanding, a defence official told Senate estimates on Wednesday.
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READ NOWPrime Minister Scott Morrison has previously said the 3000 humanitarian visas set aside for Afghan refugees following the Taliban takeover was the minimum that would be offered.
There were more than 26,000 applications made by Afghans to the federal government to settle in Australia.
About 4100 people were flown out of Afghanistan on Australian evacuation flights.
The government has flagged potential changes for Afghan nationals who were evacuated following the takeover, including the extension of their temporary protection visa.
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