It feels like a good time for an update in the aftermath of last week’s confusing reports about Australia’s future refugee intake, ongoing debates about immigration levels, and the final hearings of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. CRSA team...
Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA) is excited to be returning to Perth during Welcoming Week, 15-17 September 2026, for a series of inspiring community events. Join Romy Vitailen (National CRISP Program Director) and Blaise Itabelo (National Manager of...
https://youtu.be/JTGp_2qtqUs?si=TqLS1PUvWiUAEAug On 1 July 2026, after a successful 4-year pilot, the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Program (CRISP) became a permanent part of Australia’s humanitarian program, with Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia...
The introduction of the Community Refugee Integration Settlement Pilot (CRISP), which becomes permanent on 1 July 2026, was a significant step forward in the development of Australia's complementary pathways ecosystem and vision...
On Monday 24 August, CRSA CEO Lisa Button appeared before the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion alongside Jess, a Jewish Australian and member of CRISP community supporter group...
https://youtu.be/JTGp_2qtqUs?si=TqLS1PUvWiUAEAug On 1 July 2026, after a successful 4-year pilot, the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Program (CRISP) became a permanent part of...
By Lani Oataway, 15 August 2026 Alain Mukungu thought moving to a town with the same name as a piece of fruit meant he had to become a farmer. "Orange means it's a farm where they are growing so...
Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA) is excited to be returning to Perth during Welcoming Week, 15-17 September 2026, for a series of inspiring community events. Join Romy Vitailen...
If you want to get involved in the CRISP, have questions about community refugee sponsorship or are just curious to know more, then registering for one of our regular information sessions is a...
What happens when a group of ordinary Australians steps up to support a refugee household building a new life in Australia? That's the question at the heart of Sky's the Limit, a moving new episode...
By Leisa Scott and Rebecca Armstrong, 12 July 2026 Naima Ali Farah is having her make-up done. It's an ordinary scene at this cosmetic store in Melbourne's northern suburbs but it doesn't feel...
By Renee Hilton Jones, 27 June 2026 A couple who have opened their home to refugees from across the world say a "soft landing" remains critical for helping people settle and integrate into...
The Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Program, or CRISP, is a national, government-supported initiative that invites people to play a meaningful role in welcoming refugees into the...
Today marks a very important day for the CRSA team, the dozens of organisations, and the thousands of people involved in our work over the last few...
From Pilot to Permanence. In August 2022, the first families were welcomed to Australia under a groundbreaking new program, the Community Refugee Integration & Settlement Pilot - or the CRISP....
The introduction of the Community Refugee Integration Settlement Pilot (CRISP), which becomes permanent on 1 July 2026, was a significant step forward in the...
Access the CRISP Settlement Guidebook below.
This guidebook is for groups preparing to welcome a refugee household through one of CRSA’s programs
Members of CRSA's Newcomer Panel (L-R): Luisana, Ana, Kimo, Naima, Ayat, Julian & Juan. Last week, the CRSA team brought together local community supporter group members, refugee newcomers,...
Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA) is delighted to announce that it has been contracted by the Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs to deliver the Community Refugee Integration and...
Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA) is delighted to announce that it has been contracted by the Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs to deliver the Community Refugee Integration and...
After leaving their home in Venezuela, Luisana and Ana spent five years in Peru waiting for their new lives to begin. As refugees in a same-sex relationship and without the protection of...
Every day, extraordinary Australians around the country are choosing welcome, volunteering their time, skills and resources to help refugee newcomers feel safe, connected and supported as they build...
Meet Antoine & Jeanine and their family who were welcomed to Aireys Inlet by a local group called Bring Them Here. After years in Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, they found safety, friendship, and...
By Mohamed Irba, 4 May 2026 For LGBTQIA+ refugees, the stakes of resettlement are often higher. Mohamed Irba shares how queer community members are reshaping refugee resettlement through sponsorship...
Starting a new life in Sydney can be exciting—but it comes with plenty of challenges. In this practical guide from The Chronicle, CRISP participant Abolfazl Bakhtiari shares lessons from his own...
Lisa Button, CEO Honestly, I’ve been at a bit of a loss for words given everything that is happening in the world right now. Aside from those impacted by conflict and violence globally, my thoughts...
CRSA recently made a submission in response to the Discussion Paper published by the Department of Home Affairs in connection with Australia’s Humanitarian Program 2026-27. This submission focuses...
For most of her 39 years, Naima lived in survival mode. As a teenager she was married and then widowed, left to raise her young son Feisal alone in Somalia. A mother at just 15, her own parents had...
By Hương Lan, 7 April 2026 Read and listen to the full article in Vietnamese HERE. Translated from Vietnamese to English below using Google Translate. Huy Tran: the story of immigration and the...
"A VOLUNTEER group in Murwillumbah is helping refugee families rebuild their lives from scratch, offering hands on support from the moment they arrive in Australia. As communities across the country...
For more than four decades, community sponsorship has seen refugees successfully settled in hundreds of regional communities in Canada beyond the reach of metropolitan settlement service providers....
Meet Ana & Luisana who, after fleeing Venezuela, arrived in Australia through the Community Refugee Integration & Settlement Pilot (CRISP). Welcomed with open arms by local Community...
By Lisa Button, CEO of Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia In all the talk about social cohesion, we spend far too little time on the “social”. Strategies to counter discrimination, laws to...
By Leigh Andrew Hill, 2 March 2026 Julian is originally from Syria, and fled from Iraq to Australia in April 2025 with support from the United Nations and Rainbow Refugees. We spoke to Julian about...
In challenging times like these, it’s all too easy for people to feel overwhelmed and despairing. The...
I wanted to wish you all a happy new year for 2026 and to share some reflections for those of you with new year's resolutions on your mind. For many of us, this is a time for...
CRSA's Pre-Budget submission for the 2026–27 Budget focuses on three key recommendations to the Commonwealth Government: (i) Prioritise reforms to 'named' community sponsorship (ii) Prioritise...