Australia grants visas to over 100 ex-Afghan embassy personnel amid Taliban-fuelled crisis

More than 100 Afghan nationals who served at Australia's embassy have been given humanitarian visas, the Australian government claimed on Sunday, just a day after their visa applications were rejected. Contradictory to this, many Afghan nationals made several unsuccessful attempts to exit the country that has been marred by the Taliban dictatorship and this has caused a lot of confusion.

Department of Foreign Affairs sent an email to more than 100 embassy guards

On Saturday, the Department of Foreign Affairs sent an email to more than 100 embassy guards and full-time maintenance personnel informing them that their service to Australia was insufficient to qualify for evacuation flights. The letter emphasises Australia's commitment to grant 3,000 spaces to Afghan nationals under the existing humanitarian program, and asks them to "examine your alternatives fully." They had already been awarded visas, according to a statement released by the agency late Sunday night.

According to the department's spokesperson, anyone who is denied an at-risk employee visa is now automatically considered for a different humanitarian stream by the Department of Home Affairs.

Glenn Kolomeitz, a migration lawyer and former army major who represents hundreds of former Australian Defence Force translators and support employees, accused the government of attempting to "spin this to the media" before alerting his clients. Kolomeitz said that it is disingenuous for the government to suddenly claim they weren't qualified under the LEE (locally engaged employee) programme when the employees had already been awarded such visas.

He further asked as to why the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) didn't state that these visas had previously been approved in the letter if they had already been granted? ''Why did the letter suggest that these applicants must consult a migration agent and explore other options, yet none of the guards or their legal representatives, were given this advice?," Kolomeitz questioned. 

The DFAT refusal letters, he claimed, all had the same reference number and were not signed claiming that they have punched out over 100 of these templated rejection letters unsigned or with the same phone number in the last 24 to 48 hours, further saying that this method has no rhyme or purpose to it.

Australia closed its embassy in Kabul back in May

Earlier, a security guard called the situation "disgusting" after being denied a visa for at-risk Afghan personnel four months after applying. In May, Australia abruptly closed its embassy in Kabul, citing a lack of security for workers.

Image- @Zalmay_Afg/Twitter