Humanitarian visas are

visas Visa most commonly refers to: * Travel visa, a document that allows entry to a foreign country * Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Vi ...

granted by some countries in order to fulfill their international obligation to protect refugees from persecution. The criteria in the

Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention or the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951 is a United Nations multilateral treaty that defines who a refugee is and sets out the rights of individuals ...

are often used in assessing whether or not there is a legitimate claim for protection. It defines a refugee as a person who: * is outside their country of origin or legal residence * is unable, or unwilling to return to their country of legal residence because of a legitimate fear of persecution regarding their race, religion, nationality, group membership, or a political belief, as defined by the

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, l ...

* has not been convicted of a serious crime by a fair tribunal. Persons primarily seeking better economic opportunities may reasonably quote war, famine, or environmental disasters as their main motive for leaving their countries of legal residence, for which reason humanitarian visas may be difficult to obtain.

Australia

In Australia, humanitarian visas are listed as “Subclass 200” and have several distinct forms: * 201: In-country Special Humanitarian Program Visa * 202: Global Special Humanitarian Program Visa (“SHP”) * 203: Emergency Rescue Visa * 204: Woman at Risk Visa

European Union

Belgium

In 2013,

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

established a structural resettlement programme, initially agreeing to resettle 100 refugees. However, due to the Syrian refugee crisis, the Belgian Government announced in November 2014 that it would increase its 2015 resettlement quota to 300, of which 225 Syrians (from Lebanon) and 75 Congolese refugees (from Burundi). The final decision regarding Belgium's quota size and allocation of refugees belongs to the country's State Secretary for Asylum Policy and Migration.EMN Belgian National Contact Point. December 2016.
Resettlement and Humanitarian Admission in Belgium
"

European Migration Network The European Migration Network (EMN) is a network funded by the European Union (EU) with the aim of providing EU institutions, national institutions and authorities as well as the general public with up-to-date, reliable and comparable data on ...

and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. Retrieved 2020 December 7. Belgium does not have any other such humanitarian admission programmes, and there is no explicit reference to a ''humanitarian visa'' in its legislation. However, on an ''

ad hoc ''Ad hoc'' is a List of Latin phrases, Latin phrase meaning literally for this. In English language, English, it typically signifies a solution designed for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a Generalization, generalized solution ...

'' and discretionary basis, the State Secretary for Asylum Policy and Migration and the

Federal Public Service Home Affairs The FPS Interior (, , ), formerly the Ministry of the Interior, is a Federal Public Service of Belgium. It was created by Royal Order on 14 January 2002, as part of the plans of the Verhofstadt I Government to modernise the federal administration ...

grant visas on the basis of “humanitarian grounds," which are either short term (C-type) or long term (D-type) visas.

France

Between 2013 and 2016,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

granted more than threethousand humanitarian visas to Syrian refugees to enter the country.

Switzerland

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

is stricter in granting humanitarian visas, According to Swiss national law, Switzerland has the possibility to issue a humanitarian visa to individuals whose lives are imminently at risk, but the practice is very restrictive. Apart from a life-threatening situation, the State Secretariat for Migration generally requires that the individual has a link to Switzerland. In addition, the request for such a visa normally needs to be made in person at a Swiss representation.

India

Following the overthrow of the

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was a presidential republic in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2021. The state was established to replace the Afghan Afghan Interim Administration, interim (2001–2002) and Transitional Islamic State of Afghanist ...

by the

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

in August 2021, the government of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

introduced an "e-Emergency X-Misc Visa", a type of humanitarian

electronic visa An electronic visa (E-Visa) and an electronic travel authorization (ETA, also styled eTA) are online systems established by countries that affirm the eligibility of a foreign national to travel to their country under their immigration laws. They ...

, for nationals of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

Russia

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

may issue humanitarian visas to

stateless persons In international law, a stateless person is someone who is "not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law". Some stateless people are also refugees. However, not all refugees are stateless, and many people who are st ...

or citizens from countries such as the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

who may be considered potentially hostile, and traveling for a variety of reasons including cultural or political exchanges, sports events, scientific or technical conferences and providing temporary specialist services such as humanitarian relief.

Americas

Argentina (Programa Siria)

Since 2014,

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

has accepted asylum seekers originating from

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

through its humanitarian visa program Programa Siria ('Syria Programme'), particularly for those affected by the conflict in Syria. Adopting a sponsorship resettlement model—as opposed to a traditional resettlement programme—Argentina's Programa Siria grants temporary humanitarian visas for Syrian nationals sponsored by Argentinean individuals, organizations, or institutions for their living costs; after the temporary visa expires, Syrians may apply for

permanent residency Permanent residency is a person's legal resident status in a country or territory of which such person is not a citizen but where they have the right to reside on a permanent basis. This is usually for a permanent period; a person with such l ...

.Action Fiche for Strengthening international protection, reception and integration of refugees in Argentina
" ''Commission Implementing Decision on the 2017 Annual Action programme for the Partnership Instrument'', annex 21.

Service for Foreign Policy Instruments The Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) is a department (Directorate-General) of the European Commission set up in response to the establishment of the European External Action Service (EEAS). The EEAS merged the Commission's Directorate-G ...

, European Commission. 2017. Since the program was adopted, the

has worked with the Argentinian Government to strengthen and consolidate it and to assess the possibilities of expanding a similar model to refugees coming from others countries of asylum.

Brazil

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

issues humanitarian visas to nationals or stateless residents of countries experiencing serious instability, armed conflict, disaster or violations of human rights. Brazil has designated

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

and

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

for this type of visa. Residency is granted initially for two years, after which the applicant may request

United States (humanitarian parole)

In the United States, humanitarian visas are also known as

humanitarian parole Parole, in the immigration laws of the United States, generally refers to official permission to enter and remain temporarily in the United States, under the supervision of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), without formal admission ...

, which are documents granted for short-term urgent humanitarian relief, typically for up to one year. People who would otherwise be unable to enter the United States may be granted such parole in exceptional personal circumstances; however, these do not permit them to obtain permanent residency.USA Today, What Is a Humanitarian Visa?
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References

{{Immigration Right of asylum United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees