Refugee Airfare Loans Scheme FAQ

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Contact Us Email: RALS Telephone: 0408 763 981 Address: Refugee Airfare Loans Scheme, PO Box 5519, West End, Brisbane, QLD, 4101

Frequently Asked Questions...

What is the purpose of RALS? The purpose of the Refugee Airfare Loans Scheme (RALS) is to provide Humanitarian Entrants who would not otherwise be reasonably able to pay for their airfare from their country of refuge to Australia, with access to a loan to pay for their airfare. RALS does this without charging interest and with a repayment plan tailored to suit the applicants' financial circumstances. The loan must only be used for the cost of the initial voyage from the country of refuge to Australia. RALS is not simply a credit facility for airfares, it is a community-based initiative to assist refugees to settle in Australia. The purpose of having a revolving loan scheme is to maximise the capital available to assist people. This gives recipients an opportunity to assist the next generation of people in need.

Who is behind RALS? The Refugee Airfare Loans Scheme is a project of the West End Migrant And Refugee Support Group, incorporated in the Community Initiatives Resource Association under the auspices of TEAR Australia. The Loans Committee is comprised of volunteers.

Who can apply for a loan? People who meet the eligibility criteria can apply for a RALS loan to bring a person to Australia who:

1. Is eligible to come to Australia because:

they have their humanitarian entrant status (202 Visa); or
they have their migration visa and are the relative of a person who arrived in Australia as a refugee or humanitarian entrant

AND

2. Cannot afford their airfare because:

their passage is not paid for by the Department of Immigration (DIAC); or
neither they nor their sponsor has enough money themselves; or
they cannot get a loan from the International Organisation for Migration or their local bank.

If more people want loans than there is money available, RALS will give priority to:

Humanitarian Entrants (Visa 202)
Humanitarian Program entrant's relatives, who have migrant visas with the following people given priority (in order):

Persons with a disability
Pregnant women with children
Frail aged persons (over 65 years old)
Unaccompanied children (under 16 years)
Mother with very young children (under 5 years old)
Mother with young children (under 12 years old)
Couple or Father with very young children (under 5 years old)
Large families with six or more children
Couple or Father with young children (under 12 years old)
Other members of the target group

The person applying for the loan needs to be:

a permanent resident of Australia, of not less than six months, and not more than five years' residency
willing and able to demonstrate that there are no other reasonable means to raise the money for the airfare
applying for people within the target group and for the appropriate purpose
a low income earner (as defined by eligibility for Qld Dept Housing)
able to repay the loan
showing commitment to repay the loan
raising (and have raised) as much money for the airfare as could reasonably have been expected, and not less than 10% of the total requested for the loan
at a stable address in Qld (with a lease or equivalent for at least three months)
applying to receive their first loan or having fully repaid any prior loan without being specially reminded to do so
where possible applying at least 3 months prior to the loan recipient's visa expiring and preferably at the time of the visa being granted
given a character reference by at least three people who are living in Brisbane
given a statement of intention to assist in the settlement of the loan beneficiary by two people from separate families, or from a CSR group

In extraordinary circumstances, a unanimous vote of the Loans Committee may waive one or more of these requirements.

How much can I borrow? There will be no limit on the size of any particular loan to an applicant. However, it is important that applicants can be reasonably expected to repay the loan. Therefore, any loan exceeding $2,000 will need to be agreed upon unanimously by the Loans Committee. Repayment amounts will be between 5% and 20% of the income of the person applying for the loan, unless other-wise approved by the Loans Committee. The term of the loan will ideally be 12 months. The maximum term shall be no more than 30 months.

What happens after I apply?: All applications will be assessed by the Loans Committee. This shall typically occur within four weeks of receiving a completed application. At least four members of the Loans Committee, including the Chair, must agree for approval to be given. Within the target population and lending criteria, the gender, age, disability, sexual preferences, race, politics, or religious beliefs of either the applicant or the beneficiary will not influence assessments. Members of the Loans Committee are required to disclose and to step aside from consideration of, conflict of interest in any particular application.

How can I make a donation to the Refugee Airfare Loans Scheme?

For further instructions to make a donation click here

How can I apply for a loan from the Refugee Airfare Loans Scheme?

For further instructions on applying for a loan click here