Australia tightens immigration policies amid criticism

Australia has tightened its controversial immigration laws by introducing temporary visas for refugees, which do not grant settlement in the country.

Australia’s lower house of parliament narrowly approved amendments to the Migration Act on Friday following a debate on the issue in the Senate, the upper house of the legislative body.

Dubbed the “temporary protection visas” (TPVs), refugees are granted protection for up to three years, but they will not be allowed to settle in Australia permanently.

However, at the end of the three-year period, refugees could be sent back to their home country.

The re-introduction of the TPVs, used by previous Australian governments, is aimed at dealing with the backlog of 30,000 asylum-seekers who arrived by boat from neighboring countries.

“We always said that three things were necessary to stop the boats — offshore processing, turning boats around and temporary protection visas and last night the final piece of policy was put in place,” Prime Minister Tony Abbott said.

International pressure has mounted over Australia’s offshore detention of asylum-seekers on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean as well as the turning back of asylum boats.

The United Nations and rights groups have criticized Abbott’s asylum policies, saying the practice is illegal and inhumane.

Amnesty International has also warned the recent legislation failed to leave room for appeal and would see refugees returned to their torturers.

TPVs enacted under former Prime Minister John Howard were shown to “inflict serious harm on refugees’ mental health, with higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress, compared to those with permanent protection,” Amnesty said.