This petition seeks to implement a moratorium on the granting of permanent refugee visas for people seeking asylum from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan in particular. As an alternative, we would ask that the Australian government pursue a policy not dissimilar to that which was in place during the Kosovo war.

In 1999, 4,000 Kosovars were brought to Australia on a “Safe Haven Visa”. Nearly all the Kosovars eventually returned to Kosovo. This was ultimately in the best interest of their country, and its people, in order to avoid a potential “brain drain”. This programme also provided the Kosovars with approximately $3,000 for each person in financial support when they returned home, to aid in their resettlement.

The countries of Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan will require a variety of assistance once the war with ISIS, the Al Nusra Front, the Free Syrian Army, and the Taleban has been brought to an eventual end.

It is in Syria’s, Iraq’s, and Afghanistan's best long term interests to have the people who have been displaced by the war return home at its conclusion. This is crucial in order for the nations’ citizens to be a part of their nations’ rehabilitation, and their own people, who are in reality the best suited for this to be successful and sustainable.