Emergency relief support

Eligibility guidelines

Who may be eligible

You may be eligible if:

• You hold a temporary visa.
• Are over 18 years of age.
• You are living in Australia.
• You meet our financial hardship threshold and experiencing vulnerability (e.g., unable to meet basic needs such as food, housing, or medical care).

Please note that New Zealand citizens are not eligible as they have broader access to services and work rights in Australia.

What we consider in our assessment

To make fair and consistent decisions, we look at several factors, including:

• Your visa conditions (e.g., work rights and access to government support).
• Your ability to earn income or access other financial support.
• Your English language proficiency and ability to navigate services.
• Whether you have family, community, or other support networks in Australia.
• The overall impact of your circumstances on your health and wellbeing.

Who is less likely to be eligible

Based on available funding and program priorities, people who hold certain visas may not meet the threshold for financial hardship and vulnerability.

You may not be eligible if you:

• Have work rights and the ability to support yourself (e.g., skilled, student and working holiday visa holders).
• You were granted a visa based on evidence that you can support yourself during your stay (e.g., visitor visa holders)

We acknowledge that anyone can face difficulty, however, this program is designed to assist people who have very limited options for support due to situations such as their visa conditions, isolation, or other barriers.

Why is eligibility so restricted?

Our emergency relief program is small and largely funded internally by Red Cross, although we do have small Government funded programs in Victoria and Western Australia. We aim to help as many people as possible, but due to high demand across the country and limited resources, we prioritise people who are in the most vulnerable situations and who have no other support options.

Not sure if you qualify?

If you’re not sure, you can still submit an application. Please note that due to high demand and limited resources, applications that don’t meet the eligibility threshold may not receive support.

You must confirm that all information provided to Red Cross is true and correct. If your application contains information or documentation believed to be false or misleading, including concealing any relevant circumstances, it will be declined.

If you have applied for emergency relief with Red Cross before, please use the same username and password to login.

Information for service providers

Service providers can help a person to apply via the online portal.

If you are supporting someone to apply, do not use your work email address; applications must be made using the applicant’s personal email. If the client does not currently have an email address, please support them to open a new one.

Contact us

If you need help, please email grantsupport@redcross.org.au and we will respond to you as soon as we can.