Australia so far has welcomed 1,300 Palestinians who have fled the war in Gaza. Their new home is a safe haven, but the move also comes with its challenges. Their refugee visas do not let them work, study or access Medicare, leaving them feeling stuck.
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00:00Doctors, engineers and students are all among the hundreds of Palestinian professionals
00:07from Gaza at this jobs expo in Bankstown.
00:11I am a pharmacist.
00:12I used to work in a pharmaceutical company.
00:16In Gaza, I used to work as a journalist and an Arabic teacher.
00:22With the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza, my company was completely destroyed.
00:28Offices, warehouses and fridges.
00:32The expo offered career advice, resume support and workshops on how to find training in different
00:38fields.
00:39Well, there's this misnomer out there that people who have come here from Gaza, who have
00:43fled the war-torn country, come here without education.
00:46Over the last year, the Australian government has rejected more than 7,000 Palestinian visa
00:51applications and accepted just under 3,000.
00:55But only around 1,300 have actually come here.
00:58Most of whom are still on visitor visas with no study and no work rights.
01:04I had hopes, dreams and goals for my life, but unfortunately, everything has vaporized.
01:10Till now, we're on a visitor visa.
01:13We're unable to work or do anything.
01:15Unfortunately, I can't even study until we get a bridging or a humanitarian visa or whatever.
01:21The federal government says it will offer a small number of Palestinian families a pathway
01:26to a three-year humanitarian visa.
01:29This will allow them access to Medicare, work and study rights.
01:33But the majority will remain stuck in limbo until further notice.