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CRISP factsheet

 Last updated February 2023 | Feature photo: Mark Isaacs 

What is the CRISP?

• The Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot – known as the CRISP – is Australia’s new refugee sponsorship program.
• The first refugees arrived in August 2022 following the launch of the program in mid 2022.
• CRSA is funded by the Commonwealth Government to deliver the CRISP around Australia.
• The CRISP is inspired by the successful Canadian community refugee sponsorship program operating since the late 1970s, which has enabled more than 325,000 refugees to build a new life in Canada. Similar programs are now being implemented in around a dozen countries around the world, including the UK, US, NZ and Ireland. 
• Globally, there are now more than 32.5 million refugees, with more than 2 million predicted by the UNHCR to be in need of resettlement in 2023. The number of available global resettlement opportunities is grossly inadequate to meet this need, but community sponsorship programs are helping to increase this number.

Who benefits from the program?

• The Australian government selects refugees to participate in the program, drawing on those identified by the UNHCR as being in most urgent need of resettlement. 
• Refugees arrive as permanent residents eligible for government-funded English classes, Centrelink support, Medicare and most other federal, state and local services. 

How do volunteers get involved?

• To participate, Australians need to:
• form a local ‘Community Supporter Group’ or CSG of five or more adults;
• provide clear police and working with children checks;
• undergo some initial training; and
• commit to 12 months of practical hands-on support, including some fundraising.
• CSGs can be based in a community anywhere in Australia.
• CSGs operate as independent, self-governing and self-directing groups.  While CRSA will provide them with training and support, CSG members are not representatives of CRSA.

What does the CSG do?

CSGs offer 12 months of practical hands-on support to the new arrivals. This includes: 

• Fundraising for income support for the first 1-2 weeks 
• Providing temporary accommodation for 4-6 weeks
• Meeting the new arrivals at the airport
• Helping the new arrivals to:
• Apply for  a bank account
• Register for Centrelink support and other government services
• Enroll children in school 
• Access language classes
• Local orientation including using public transport
• Providing access to social opportunities and emotional support
• Helping the new arrivals to secure long-term housing 

Additional settlement and integration support is driven by the new arrivals’ needs and aspirations and could include help with getting a driver’s license, finding a job or starting a business, with an overall aim of self-sufficiency.

How many refugees will be supported?

The program aims to welcome and support 1,500 refugee newcomers over the course of the four year pilot (2022-2025).  As of February 2023, more than 20 refugee households (approximately 150 individuals) have already arrived in Australia, with the program aiming to increase in scale as momentum grows around the country.

How does the CRISP fit in with other ways for refugees to enter the country?

Refugees can enter Australia in other ways, including under the HSP (Humanitarian Settlement Program) and CSP (community support program). For more information, see the HSP, CSP and CRISP comparison published by the Department of Home Affairs.

Where is the program active?

Who does what?