We know that it can be hard for people seeking asylum to find a job that values your skills and experience. It’s important to have the right support to help you prepare for and secure lasting, skilled employment.

We can help you get a good job and succeed in Australia.

Our free 1:1 support helps you to set goals, get your overseas skills recognised, pay for work expenses, and find a good job. We make it easier for you to build a better future.

Asylum Seeker Employment Skills Support (ASESS) provides support to make it easier for people seeking asylum to join the workforce. We offer mentoring and support to help you:

*Names have been changed.

Funded by the NSW Department of Education, SSI delivers ASESS services across NSW.

Email: asess@ssi.org.au

Liverpool

Address: Level 1/45 – 47 Scott Street, Liverpool NSW 2170

Phone: 02 9600 3100

Fairfield

Address: Ground Floor / 7 William Street, Fairfield NSW 2165

Phone: 02 8111 7000

Settling refugees in regional towns and cities benefits newcomers and local communities alike. The refugees enjoy a more relaxed introduction to Australia and make important social, cultural and economic contributions to their host communities. 

SSI provides regional settlement services in Coffs Harbour, Newcastle and Armidale. Working under the Commonwealth’s Humanitarian Settlement Program, staff engage refugees, humanitarian entrants and local stakeholders to ensure successful, long-term settlement outcomes. 

We understand that it can be challenging for refugees and humanitarian entrants to adapt to life in Australia. That is why we offer the Community Education program, which provides workshops and courses to help newcomers find their feet and engage with local communities.

Our courses aim to increase their knowledge of Australia and ability to navigate and access services. We offer courses such as driver literacy, public transport, housing, citizenship progression and support for exam preparation, and job seeking strategies. Join us and take the first step in making Australia feel like home!

The Federal Government’s Community Support Program (CSP) aims to help people applying for humanitarian visas (CSP visa) to settle in Australia. Australian businesses, families and individuals can offer employment through the scheme, and community organisations can offer settlement support.

As an Approved Proposing Organisation (APO) under the program, SSI can propose individuals in humanitarian situations overseas to take part in the Community Support Program in Australia. Our goal is to support potential humanitarian applicants who have eligible supporters for successful resettlement in Australia. We aim for them to become financially independent and have meaningful lives in Australia within a year of their arrival.

CSP Processing and Lodgement Status

Only a limited number of visas are granted under the Community Support Program (CSP) each year. The program remains heavily oversubscribed, resulting in extended processing times. Processing may take eight years or longer, and all applicants should expect lengthy processing timeframes.

To help manage the significant backlog of applications, the Department of Home Affairs has tightly controlled the number of applications that Approved Proposing Organisations (APOs) can lodge.

At present, SSI has not been allocated any places to lodge visa applications from our existing on-hand caseload.

This means SSI is currently unable to submit further CSP visa applications. We do not yet know when SSI will receive any future allocations or what arrangements will apply moving forward.

Due to these constraints, SSI continues to pause accepting new Expressions of Interest (EOIs) and lodging new visa applications under the CSP.

Other Approval Processing Organisations (APO’s) can be found here. 

Please direct any enquiries relating to applications which have already been lodged to csp@ssi.org.au

Kindly note that SSI has reached capacity for this program. We will not be accepting new applications under the Community Support (CSP) Program.

For further information on the Community Support Program, please visit the Department of Home Affairs.

SSI CSP Fee Structures and Invoice Schedules

People with refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds can face considerable barriers to participating in Australia’s education system. Supported by financial services company Allianz and other donors, the SSI Allianz Scholarship program aims to make things a little easier.

Through the program, we provide one-off scholarships to students preparing to undertake study or have their existing skills recognised in New South Wales, Queensland or Victoria.

To be successful for support, applicants must:

• Be from a refugee or asylum seeker background on the listed visa numbers: 117, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 449, 786, 790, 842, 851, 866. Applicants on bridging, SHEV 790 or TPV 785, are also eligible to apply but must consider individual circumstances regarding visa obligations and any potential impact on other sources of income.
• Have been living in Australia for five years or less (from and including 2020).  The five-year country entry limit does not apply to 851, bridging, TPV 785 or SHEV 790 visa holders.
• Reside and study in NSW, QLD or VIC.
• Meet eligibility criteria specific to each scholarship category (see application forms for more details).
• Not have previously received an SSI Allianz scholarship.

*No more than one scholarship will be awarded to each immediate family in the same household per year.

*People living with disability who meet the criteria are encouraged to apply. 

In 2026, the SSI Allianz Refugee Education Scholarships will provide financial support across a range of study pathways, helping students from refugee backgrounds reach their education and career goals:

• 10 x Secondary School Scholarships – $500 each
• 8 x Vocational Education & Training (VET) Scholarships – $2,000 each
• 6 x Skills Recognition Scholarships – $4,000 each
• 8 x University Scholarships – $4,000 each
  • General Stream: open to all fields of study and career pathways
  • Resilience Stream: for applicants pursuing careers that promote environmental or social resilience

The number of university scholarships in each stream will be determined based on applications received.

Applications open: October 17th 2025

Applications close: 5pm November 21st 2025

Notification of outcome for: Secondary, Skills Recognition and Vocational Education & Training: Applicants notified late January 2026

Notification of application outcome for the University category: Late-January / February 2026

Successful Secondary, Vocational Education & Training, Skills & Qualification Recognition receive funding: Late-January / February 2026

Successful University applicants receive funding: February / March 2026 (confirmation of enrolment must be received)

Scholarship Ceremony: Mid-2026

Australia’s regions are in dire need of workers in a range of sectors. At the same time, many people in cities – including newcomers – are looking for employment. SSI’s Work+Stay business aims to bring the two together, helping to solve challenges for regional employers and to build stronger communities.

The program has a focus on right-fit employment and lifestyle solutions for newcomers considering relocation, and the right long-term workforce for employers in the regions.

Young people from multicultural, migrant and refugee backgrounds have extraordinary potential. But all too often, they face barriers along their way.

Our Youth Collective initiative brings young people together with multicultural service providers to create a platform for youth from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to participate in activities that help shape service delivery planning, implementation and outcomes that impact them across education, employment and a number of other areas.

Our aim is to improve service delivery outcomes for multicultural young people in NSW through innovative and collaborative initiatives. By participating in this initiative, young people have the opportunity to build their confidence, resilience and leadership skills.

The program includes the NSW Settlement Partnership (NSP) Youth Workers Network, a group of youth workers from across 20 settlement service providers in the NSP, which is a consortium led by SSI to deliver services to newly arrived migrants and refugees. Network members collaborate on projects, share resources and learn from each other how to successfully deliver services and support to young people. For example, we collaborated with the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service, Primary Health Networks and Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) to co-design resources for the Multicultural Community Wellbeing campaign.

Youth representation and leadership are other key aspects of this initiative. Through activities such as our 20 Voices Youth Symposiums, we bring together newly arrived young people to discuss issues in youth settlement, such as education, housing, employment and health.

We are committed to empowering young people to play a role in the development of policies that impact them, so we create spaces for young people to share their challenges, hopes, dreams and lived experience.

The Youth Speaks project amplifies the voices of migrant and refugee youth through conversations with young people in the community. If you are a teacher, youth worker or university student who is interested in learning more about the project, we would love to hear from you!

This program supports new arrivals from humanitarian backgrounds by connecting them with established locals to make them feel safe and welcome in their new home. It has encouraged cross-cultural relationships in Australian communities since 2018.

The volunteer Welcome Ambassadors come together with local newcomers to enjoy a group activity based on common interests — be it exploring iconic landmarks, or finding a scenic picnic spot to share a meal.

The program began as Welcome2Sydney (W2S), co-designed with the City of Sydney, and was then named the Welcome Project. Following its award-winning successes, it evolved into SSI’s Welcome Program to expand into areas outside of Sydney like Coffs Harbour where it launched in June 2022.

We run activities in Metropolitan Sydney and Coffs Harbour. Here is how to get involved:

• For newcomers from humanitarian backgrounds, join free events to meet locals or other newcomers in your area
• Individuals who want to volunteer with refugees can become Welcome Ambassadors
• Corporate teams can volunteer by hosting a welcome activity for newcomers
• Community partners can support us through connections to local activities and sites or hosting events. They include local governments, businesses, community groups and organisations and many others

At SSI, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive—whether through employment, upskilling, or building their own business. That’s why our Employment Services division offers a powerful and person-centred approach, designed to put your goals at the heart of everything we do.

Ignite, our flagship program, is embedded within Employment Services, bringing together entrepreneurial insights and practical supports to offer real choice and flexibility. From skills development to self-employment pathways, we help you shape a future that’s meaningful to you.  With specialisation helping entrepreneurs with disability, and supporting women with aspirations to explore self-employment, our programs are tailored to meet your needs.

Whether you’re ready to step into the workforce, explore a business idea, or gain the confidence and skills to take your next step, we’re here to support your journey—every step of the way.

SSI’s Ignite mentoring program is available for individuals who have:

• a solid business idea,
• skills to match their idea,
• passion and enthusiasm for running the business and
• most importantly, have time to develop that idea.

Currently we have a program that is specifically for:

• People with disability interested in starting a business,
• People who are carers of people with disability.

Still needing to know more about starting a business? For all stages and abilities, we recommend Ignite’s Exploring Self-Employment e-learning course. It’s available to anyone interested in self-employment and small business. You can:

• work at your own pace
• learn the basics of self-employment
• access useful tools and templates

Our volunteer team consists of business volunteers, low-bono professionals, pro-bono industry mentors/experts and students.  If you are passionate about giving back to the community, supporting those with barriers to receiving mainstream support and believe in economic participation for all,  we would love to hear from you.

Our goal for clients is to help expand their networks with service providers and supporters that are safe, kind and caring, knowledgeable and invested in helping others to develop their businesses.

Click here to view our volunteering opportunities and to apply.

We’re proud to showcase a range of businesses we’ve worked with. For your convenience, we’ve included links to their websites.

Please note that since we don’t maintain these external sites, we can’t guarantee the links will always be active or up to date. If you encounter a broken link, feel free to let us know.

The Federal Government’s Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) program provides assistance to eligible asylum seekers, including accessing financial support, accommodation, healthcare, employment and education.

We deliver the SRSS program to eligible people seeking asylum living in the community on bridging visas. We are one of two national providers delivering services in NSW, ACT, Queensland, Northern Territory, Victoria and Tasmania.

National Phone Number: 1800asylum which is 1800 279 586 or 02 9685 0100

Hours of Operation: 9am to 5pm (Monday to Friday)

If you would like to apply for SRSS support and payments or if you would like to refer someone for SRSS, please complete this online form.  One of our friendly intake officers will support you through the application process.

Program funded by Australian Government Department of Home Affairs