Is a protection visa available to someone from Papua New Guinea who is already in Australia?

Yes, where the person is in Australia and can establish that Australia owes them protection obligations under the Migration Act 1958, either as a refugee or under the complementary protection criteria. The claim is assessed on the individual's circumstances against current country information for Papua New Guinea.

Is there a current DFAT report on Papua New Guinea?

The DFAT Country Information Report for Papua New Guinea was last updated 25 July 2025. DFAT prepares these reports for protection status determination, drawing on in-country knowledge and reporting from governments, UN agencies, civil society and media.

Protection Visa Applications from Papua New Guinea

Visa Plan Lawyers advises applicants from Papua New Guinea on Australian protection visa applications and related merits review matters. Protection claims from Papua New Guinea raise issues including regional violence, targeting on the basis of gender or social group, and conditions arising from inter-communal conflict. A claim is decided on the applicant's individual circumstances, tested against reporting that is current when the decision is made rather than when the applicant left.

Each matter begins with an assessment of which criteria the facts can meet and what evidence will be needed to meet them.

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Advice for Applicants from Papua New Guinea

For applicants from Papua New Guinea, Visa Plan prepares the written claims and supporting evidence for the subclass 866 application and appears on merits review where a decision is refused. Alternative pathways are advised on where the facts call for them.

The Department of Home Affairs notes that a person will not have a well-founded fear of persecution if reasonable modification of behaviour would avoid the risk, but that this does not extend to concealing religious beliefs (including a conversion), political beliefs, ethnicity, or sexual orientation or gender identity. Source: Home Affairs, Australia's protection obligations. The provisions applied are sections 5H, 5J and 36 of the Migration Act 1958.

DFAT and Smartraveller Reporting: Papua New Guinea

A DFAT Country Information Report on Papua New Guinea (updated 25 July 2025) is available as a PDF. DFAT states that its reports are prepared with regard to the protection visa caseload at a point in time, without reference to individual applications, and represent its best assessment at the time of writing.

As at 25 September 2026, Smartraveller advises Australians to "exercise a high degree of caution" in respect of Papua New Guinea (advice updated 7 September 2026). Travel advice is prepared for a different purpose from protection decision-making and is read alongside, not in place of, the DFAT Country Information Report.

Visa Plan does not publish country condition analysis. It is prepared for each matter against the reporting current at the date of decision.

Related Protection Pathways

Speak with Visa Plan Lawyers

Whether preparing a first application or responding to a refusal, the next step is a confidential discussion of the facts. Contact Visa Plan regarding a matter connected to Papua New Guinea.