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SOCIAL SECURITY ACT 1991 - SECT 739A

Newly arrived resident's waiting period

  (1)   Subject to this section, a person who, on or after the commencement of this subsection:

  (a)   enters Australia; or

  (b)   becomes the holder of a permanent visa; or

  (e)   becomes the holder of a visa that is in a class of visas determined by the Minister, by legislative instrument, for the purposes of this paragraph;

is subject to a newly arrived resident's waiting period.

  (2)   Subject to this section, if, immediately before the commencement of this subsection, a person was the holder of a visa that is in a class of visas determined by the Minister for the purposes of this subsection, the person is subject to a newly arrived resident's waiting period.

  (3)   If:

  (a)   a person is subject to a newly arrived resident's waiting period; and

  (b)   before, on or after the commencement of this subsection, the person applies for a visa that is in a class of visas determined by the Minister, by legislative instrument, for the purposes of this paragraph;

the waiting period:

  (c)   starts on the day on which the person applied for that visa; and

  (d)   ends when the person has been in Australia for a period of, or periods totalling, 208 weeks after that day.

  (4)   If:

  (a)   a person is subject to a newly arrived resident's waiting period; and

  (b)   before, on or after the commencement of this subsection, the person was the holder of a visa that is in a class of visas determined by the Minister, by legislative instrument, for the purposes of this paragraph;

the period:

  (c)   starts on the day on which the person applied for that visa; and

  (d)   ends when the person has been in Australia for a period of, or periods totalling, 208 weeks after that day.

  (5)   If:

  (a)   a person is subject to a newly arrived resident's waiting period; and

  (b)   neither subsection   (3) nor (4) apply to the person;

the waiting period starts on the day on which the person:

  (c)   first entered Australia; or

  (d)   becomes the holder of a permanent visa;

whichever occurs last, and ends on the day after the person has been in Australia for a period of, or periods totalling, 208 weeks after that day.

  (6)   Neither subsection   (1) nor (2) applies to a person if the person holds, or was the former holder of, a visa in a class of visas determined by the Minister, by legislative instrument, for the purposes of this subsection.

  (7)   Neither subsection   (1) nor (2) apply to a person if the person, in the Secretary's opinion, has suffered a substantial change in circumstances beyond the person's control after the person first entered Australia.

Note:   For permanent visa see subsection   7(1).

  (8)   Neither subsection   (1) nor (2) applies to a person if:

  (a)   the person is a refugee, or a former refugee, at the time the person made the claim for a special benefit; or

  (b)   the following apply:

  (i)   before the person made the claim for a special benefit, the person was a family member of another person at the time the other person became a refugee;

  (ii)   the person is a family member of that other person at the time the person made the claim for a special benefit or, if that other person has died, the person was a family member of that other person immediately before that other person died; or

  (c)   the person is an Australian citizen at the time the person made the claim for a special benefit.

  (9)   For the purposes of subsection   (8):

  (a)   family member has the meaning given by subsection   7(6D); and

  (b)   former refugee has the meaning given by subsection   7(1); and

  (c)   refugee has the meaning given by subsection   7(6B).


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