Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period (NARWP) and Qualifying Residence Exemptions 005-02020020

New Australian residents who have been granted permanent residence are generally subject to a NARWP or a period of qualifying residence before they can access most products and services delivered by Services Australia. The waiting period which applies depends on the payment or concession claimed.

A Qualifying Residence Exemption (QRE) is a provision that exempts a person from having to meet the accumulated qualifying residence period or having to serve a NARWP for certain payments.

Note: a QRE does not exempt a person from any requirement to be residing in Australia and be an Australian resident for lodgement or ongoing residential qualification.

The rules governing the exemptions applicable to each payment or concession card are complex and vary from payment to payment or card.

To assess whether a customer may qualify for any of the exemptions, use the residence assessment procedure for the relevant payment. See Related links for these procedures.

For more information, see Australian residence requirements for payment.

Age Pension (Age) and Disability Support Pension (DSP)

A customer is exempt from the 10 year qualifying residence period for Age Pension and Disability Support Pension if:

• they are the holder or former holder of a permanent refugee/humanitarian visa

Note: the Service Officer actioning the claim or activity must determine if the customer is a holder, or a former holder, of a permanent refugee/humanitarian visa. They must not be referred to CIS.

Parenting Payment (PP)

A customer is exempt from both the 2 year qualifying residence period and the 4 year NARWP for PP if any of the following apply. They:

• are the holder, or former holder, of a permanent refugee/humanitarian visa
• were a family member of a refugee/humanitarian entrant at the time that person arrived in Australia; and they are the family member of that person when:
• the claim is made, or
• that person died (if they have since died)
• are the holder of a visa subclass 852
• are the principal carer of a dependent child and they became a lone parent since the start of the current period as an Australian resident. A lone parent is a person who was either:
• partnered, with a child, and then separated
• single, with no child, who then had a child

There are some general exemptions from the NARWP that apply to all affected payments. Other exemptions may apply depending on the payment claimed.

A customer is exempt from the NARWP if any of the following apply. They:

• are an Australian citizen
• are the holder or former holder of a permanent refugee/humanitarian visa
• were a family member of a refugee/humanitarian entrant at the time that person arrived in Australia; and they are the family member of that person when the claim is made, or when that person died (if they have since died)
• are the holder of a visa subclass 852. This applies for all social security benefits except Special Benefit (SpB)
• have been issued with a Resolution of Status Visa CD 851, granted on or after 9 August 2008
• hold the 2017 NARWP Grandfathering exemption

Note: the Service Officer actioning the claim or activity must determine if the customer is a holder, or a former holder, of a permanent refugee/humanitarian visa. These must not be referred to CIS.

A person claiming PP may have an exemption from the NARWP, for example, if they are an Australian citizen, but may still need to meet the qualifying residence period.

When assessing a claim, particular care must be taken to determine whether the person is the family member of a refugee.

Note: claim forms and online claims specifically ask this question.

To meet this exemption, the customer must have been the family member of the refugee or humanitarian migrant at the time the refugee or humanitarian migrant arrived in Australia; and a family member at one of the following times, for:

• Family Tax Benefit (FTB) - on the earliest date they may be entitled to receive payment (generally this would be the date customer was both physically present and residing in Australia whilst the holder of a qualifying visa), or
• Paid Parental Leave (PPL) - on the child's date of birth or entry into care, or
• Dad and Partner Pay (DAP) - on the DAP period start date, or
• Youth Allowance (YA) (student) and Austudy - from date of claim, or the date they become a full time student which makes them a dependent child for this purpose (they must still meet all other dependent child criteria), if up to 13 weeks after claim date
• all other payments, on the date of claim

Exception: if the refugee or humanitarian migrant has died since arrival in Australia, the customer must have been a family member of that person when the person arrived and when the person died.

A family member for the purpose of the NARWP exemption includes the following categories of people in accordance with section 7(6D) of the Social Security Act 1991:

• a partner of the person
• a dependent child of the person
• another person who, in the opinion of the Secretary, can be treated like a partner or dependent child of the person

It may not be immediately apparent that a person was a family member of a refugee or humanitarian entrant at the time the refugee or humanitarian entrant arrived in Australia. It may be that the other person has since died.

Refugee status does not have to be granted at the time of their arrival in Australia. Many refugees arrive on temporary visas, or as unauthorised entrants, and are later granted a refugee visa. For social security purposes, if the refugee visa has been granted, they are considered to have had refugee status on their initial arrival.

Any family relationship which started after the refugee or former refugee arrived in Australia (partner or dependent child entering their care) does not meet eligibility for this exemption provision.

If the refugee has become an Australian citizen, the person is no longer considered a refugee but a former refugee. The customer can still be covered by this exemption provision.

A person may have been granted this exemption in the past, which they are not entitled to for a subsequent claim. For example, someone who was assessed as a dependent child of a refugee previously but is no longer a dependent child for the most recent claim. In this instance, exemption coding must be ended before assessing the claim.

Apart from the general exemptions above, the following customers are exempt from the NARWP if they meet any of the conditions listed below for the relevant payment or concession card.

To assess whether a customer may qualify for any of these exemptions and how to code, use the residence assessment procedure for the relevant payment. See Related links for these procedures.

Austudy

• hold a visa 192

Carer Allowance (CDA)

• hold a visa 115, 116, 117, 835, 836, or 837
• currently receiving a social security benefit or pension, Dad and Partner Pay (DAP), Parental Leave Pay (PPL) or Farm Household Allowance (FHA)
• were granted a permanent visa before 1 January 2019

Carer Payment (CAR)

• hold a visa 116, 836 or 852

Dad and Partner Pay (DAP)

At the start of DAP payment date:

• currently receiving a social security benefit or pension, or FHA
• current or former holder of a Special Category visa (SCV) subclass 444
• hold a visa 115,117, 835, or 837
• hold or have held a certain temporary protection type visa (currently subclasses 060, 070, 449, 785, 786, 790 and ZB 951 (coded as 787)), or
• were granted a visa providing qualification for FTB, PPL or DAP before 1 January 2019

Ex-Carer Allowance Health Care Card (EHC)

They have had a substantial change in circumstances beyond their control since arriving in Australia to reside.

Family Tax Benefit Part A (FTB Part A)

Exempt for any day they meet one of the following:

• currently receiving a social security benefit or pension, DAP, PPL or FHA
• current or former holder of an SCV subclass 444
• hold a visa 115, 117, 192, 835, or 837
• hold or have held a certain temporary protection type visa (currently subclasses 060, 070, 449, 785, 786, 790 and ZB 951 (coded as 787)), or
• were granted a visa providing qualification for FTB, PPL or DAP before 1 January 2019

JobSeeker Payment (JSP)

• Under the New Zealand 10 year residence exemption, a customer is exempt from the NARWP if they:
• are a holder of a non-protected SCV, and
• have lived continuously in Australia for a period of at least 10 years immediately before claiming.
  A person can only receive JSP or Youth Allowance (YA) once under this exemption for a 6 month period.
  Note: this exemption also applied to Newstart Allowance (NSA) and Sickness Allowance (SA) however these payments were replaced by JobSeeker payment on 20 March 2020. If the customer previously received NSA or SA as a non-protected SCV holder, they cannot also claim JSP or YA under this exemption
• They are the principal carer of a dependent child, and they become a lone parent since the start of the current period as an Australian resident. A lone parent is a person who was either:
• partnered, with a child, and then separated
• single, with no child, who then had a child

Youth Allowance (YA) and Tertiary Access Payment (TAP)

• Under the New Zealand 10 year residence exemption, a customer is exempt from the NARWP if they:
• are a holder of a non-protected SCV, and
• have lived continuously in Australia for a period of at least 10 years immediately before claiming.
  A person can only receive JSP or YA once under this exemption for a 6 month period.
  Note: this exemption also applied to Newstart Allowance (NSA) and Sickness Allowance (SA) however these payments were replaced by JobSeeker payment on 20 March 2020. If the customer previously received NSA or SA as a non-protected SCV holder, they cannot also claim JSP or YA under this exemption.
• YA job seeker only - they are the principal carer of a dependent child and they become a lone parent since the start of the current period as an Australian resident. A lone parent is a person who was either:
• partnered, with a child, and then separated
• single, with no child, who then had a child
• YA student/apprentice and/or TAP only - hold a visa 192

Low Income Health Care Card (LIC)

• hold, or have held, a certain temporary protection type visa (currently subclasses 060, 070, 449,785, 786, 790 and ZB 951 (coded as 787)), or
• have had a substantial change in circumstances beyond their control since arriving in Australia to reside, or
• have a dependent child meeting the definition of an FTB child

Mobility Allowance (MOB)

Exempt if the event which resulted in their eligibility for Mobility Allowance occurred while the customer was in Australia.

Parental Leave Pay (PPL)

They meet one of the following from the date the child is born (or enters care) until the day before payment start date:

• currently receiving a social security benefit or pension, or FHA
• current or former holder of an SCV visa subclass 444
• hold a visa 115, 117, 835, or 837
• hold or have held a certain temporary protection type visa (currently subclasses 060, 070, 449, 785, 786, 790 and ZB 951 (coded as 787)), or
• were granted a visa providing qualification for FTB, PPL or DAP before 1 January 2019

Parenting Payment Single (PPS)

They are the principal carer of a dependent child, and they became a lone parent since the start of the current period as an Australian resident. A lone parent is a person who was either:

• partnered, with a child, and then separated
• single, with no child, who then had a child

Special Benefit (SpB)

• hold or have held a certain temporary protection type visa (currently subclasses 060, 070, 449, 785, 786, 790 and ZB 951 (coded as 787)), or
• have had a substantial change in circumstances beyond their control since arriving in Australia to reside

Definition of a social security pension or benefit

For an exemption from the NARWP for FTB Part A, PPL, DAP or CDA, the following payments are considered to be a social security benefit or pension:

• Age Pension
• Austudy
• Carer Payment
• Disability Support Pension
• JobSeeker Payment
• Parenting Payment (Partnered)
• Parenting Payment (Single)
• Special Benefit
• Youth Allowance

The Department of Home Affairs may reject a person's application for a permanent residence visa, but then set aside that decision on appeal. In these instances, for the purposes of calculating the NARWP, the day a person becomes the 'holder of a permanent visa' is the date the Department of Home Affairs originally decided not to grant the visa to the person. If, based on this date, the customer has served the NARWP, an exemption should be coded as a workaround.