Amira* “I don’t know when a decision will be made. I have no timeframe. The uncertainty—it makes things very unknown. It’s like you are being ignored—you aren’t recognised.” I was born and raised in Gaza—in Palestine. So much of my life was there. I came to Australia to study, just before the Covid-19 lockdowns. It was disappointing in a way. I’d come all this way and then I was isolated at home, studying remotely. But I worked hard, and after graduation I secured full time work in my field. I arrived in Australia on a scholarship from the Australian Government. The main condition was that I would leave as soon as my studies were complete. And for me, this wasn’t an option for obvious reasons. I couldn’t go back to Gaza yet I had nowhere else to go. All I could do was stay put. But because of my scholarship conditions the only pathway I had was to apply for a Protection visa. The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre helped me apply in July 2022. I’m still waiting for a decision. In the meantime, I’ve been on a Bridging Visa A. I’m told I’m on this visa as the Department still haven’t made a decision about my Protection visa. It’s been over two years with no communication whatsoever from the Department. When the war started in Gaza my lawyer tried to contact the Department to ask that they speed up my application but there was no response from them at all. My main request of the Department is they just deal with my visa application in the same way they deal with other visa categories— at least have a mandated timeframe within which I can expect a decision. For this Protection visa, I’m in a state of limbo. You have no idea what is happening and you can’t get hold of anyone. You can’t follow up on the status of your application. So some sort of mandated time frame for decision making is the least they could do. I had such limited options. Here I was, working, paying taxes, and yet the only option for me was to apply for a refugee protection visa. I suspect many others walk this path too. There was no other option for me, no other pathway available. I expected to have more rights, especially given how I’m contributing to the economy. I’m not a burden on the government. I’d expect that I’d be allowed to visit my sisters in other safe parts of the world, and come back to my job, my life here. I don’t know when a decision will be made. I have no timeframe. The uncertainty—it makes things very unknown. It’s like you are being ignored—you aren’t recognised. There’s no communication. Even though I work full time and gladly contribute to the Australian community and the economy—I pay taxes—all these things, I don’t have anything robust to hold onto in return. I don’t have access to the rights or services that Australian citizens have access to. But I’m grateful that I am safe in this country. I started my second job here just a few weeks before the war started in Gaza. I was just beginning, just learning; getting to know the organisation and what my role was. Then with what happened, it was just shocking. Completely overwhelming. But I am so grateful for the level of support my colleagues gave me—I don’t think I would get this in many other places. I don’t think it is just because I am their colleague. They watch the news; they know the truth and are engaged with the history of my people. I’m not allowed to travel; it’s a condition of my visa. I haven’t seen my family or anyone since I came to Australia. I try to ignore this—to shut it out. My mum and brother are in Gaza strip. My sisters and I are spread out all over the world, so far apart. But my mother and my brother are in Gaza. It’s too unbearable to talk about. A simple thing the government could do is provide more pathways for family members stuck in Gaza. Initially the government said people in Gaza could apply for a tourist visa to come to Australia, if they had a family member here. When I first heard about this, I was like “Yeah, let me apply for my mum and brother.” My mum got her visa granted. But they rejected my brother. And the funny thing is, when they rejected his visa, they said it was because he “didn’t satisfy the requirements of a tourist visa.” Of course. He’s not coming for a holiday! But this is all they offered. The government offers a tourist visa, but people aren’t wanting to come for a visit. They’re coming because it’s a way for them to seek safety. I know many people that were granted visas but remained stuck in Gaza—some were killed. I also heard that in order to get family here from Gaza, I should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs, give them my brother’s details and they will help to facilitate getting them out. Yet when I contacted them, they said they couldn’t help me because I’m not an Australian citizen. I’ve heard of this term ‘stateless’ before but not until I came to Australia. When I came here I found out that because I’m Palestinian, I’m considered ‘stateless’ in this country. I didn’t know that because, as far as I’d ever known, I was like—“Well, there’s a state called Palestine, it’s a country, how come I’m stateless?” I have a Palestinian passport, it’s a country. But the Australian government doesn’t recognise Palestine as a state so apparently I’m stateless. I was a bit surprised about this and felt like “what the hell?” I don’t consider myself stateless, but others do. In Australia I’m stateless. Understanding Statelessness in Australia | Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness 81