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.

There are payment-specific exemptions from the NARWP that apply if the person is:

• a dependent child, or
• the principal carer of a dependent child, and
• a lone parent

A young person aged 16-21 (under 22) is a dependent child of another person (adult) if they are:

• an Australian resident, or living with an Australian resident or Special Category Visa (SCV) subclass 44 holder residing in Australia
• wholly or substantially dependent on the adult
• undertaking full-time education at a school, college or university

For more details, see Assessment of dependent children, additional income free area and child income under social security law.

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 (DSP) if they are the holder or former holder of a permanent refugee 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 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 visa
• were a family member of a refugee 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 died after their arrival)
• 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 visa
• were a family member of a refugee or former refugee 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 died after their arrival)
• 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 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, take particular care 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 at the time the refugee 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)
• Paid Parental Leave (PPL) - on the child's date of birth or entry into care
• 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 died after their 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 at the time the refugee arrived in Australia. It may be that the refugee has died after their arrival.

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 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, they are no longer considered a refugee but a former refugee, and 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 case, 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 (CA)

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

Carer Payment (CP)

• hold a visa 116, 836 or 852

Ex-Carer Allowance Health Care Card (EHC)

They have had a substantial change in circumstances beyond their control since they first arrived in Australia.

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, PPL or FHA
• current or former holder of a Special Category Visa (SCV) subclass 444
• hold a visa 115, 117, 192, 835, or 837
• hold or have held a certain temporary protection type visa (subclasses 060, 070, 449, 785, 786 and 790)
• have held visa subclass ZB 951, which was granted before 1 July 2015 for certain purposes, or
• were granted a visa providing qualification for FTB or PPL before 1 January 2019

JobSeeker Payment (JSP)

Under the New Zealand 10 year residence exemption, the NARWP does not apply.

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, or
• single, with no child, then had a child

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

Under the New Zealand 10 year residence exemption, the NARWP does not apply.

• 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, or
• single, with no child, 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 (subclasses 060, 070, 449,785, 786 and 790)
• have held visa subclass ZB 951, which was granted before 1 July 2015 for certain purposes, or
• have had a substantial change in circumstances beyond their control since they first arrived in Australia, 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 on the date the child is born (or enters care) and on the date of any claimed PPL days:

• 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 (subclasses 060, 070, 449, 785, 786 and 790)
• have held visa subclass ZB 951, which was granted before 1 July 2015 for certain purposes, or
• were granted a visa providing qualification for FTB or PPL 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, or
• single, with no child, then had a child

Special Benefit (SpB)

• hold or have held a certain temporary protection type visa (subclasses 060, 070, 449, 785, 786 and 790)
• have held visa subclass ZB 951, which was granted before 1 July 2015 for certain purposes, or
• have had a substantial change in circumstances beyond their control since they first arrived in Australia to reside

Definition of a social security pension or benefit

For an exemption from the NARWP for FTB Part A, PPL or CA, 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.