Your Guide to Asylum Seeker Support in Western Australia: Where to Go and What to Do

If you or someone you know is an Oromo asylum seeker in Western Australia, a network of support is available—from legal advice to healthcare, settlement services, and community connections. Here is what you need to know.

The First Step: Legal Advice and Your Asylum Application

When you arrive in Australia as an asylum seeker, your immigration status is the most urgent concern. Your legal rights, your ability to work, and your access to many services depend on the type of visa you hold or have applied for.

Legal Aid WA provides free, independent legal advice about refugee law and immigration matters . They can assist with protection visa refusals, visa cancellations, Federal Court matters, and in some cases, help you lodge your protection visa application .

To start: Contact Legal Aid WA’s Infoline on 1300 650 579 (9am–5pm, Monday–Friday) .

Other specialist legal services in WA include:

  • Circle Green Community Legal – Humanitarian Services: Provides free legal help to people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds, including humanitarian visa holders, asylum seekers, and refugees who have or have had an immigration matter .
  • Administrative Review Tribunal (ART): If your visa application has been refused, you may be able to apply for a review. Legal Aid WA and community legal centres can provide independent help to support your review .

Finding Your Community: Settlement Support

Connecting with community-based organisations can help you navigate the complex settlement process and access practical support.

Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) – for people seeking asylum facing multiple vulnerabilities. In WA, MercyCare provides this service .

The Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees (CARAD) provides essential needs, advocacy, and welfare support services to people seeking humanitarian protection in Western Australia .

Contact CARAD: (08) 9227 7322 | office@carad.org.au .

Multicultural Communities Council of WA (MCCWA) delivers services for disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds .

Contact MCCWA: (08) 6196 2818 | admin@mccwa.org.au .

Healthcare: Accessing Medical Support

As an asylum seeker, accessing healthcare can be complex, especially if you have limited Medicare eligibility. However, WA has specialised health services for people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds.

Humanitarian Entrant Health Service (HEHS) provides a holistic health assessment for refugees and humanitarian entrants resettled in Western Australia under the Australian Government’s Humanitarian Program .

Who can use this service? This service is for refugees and migrants on humanitarian visas who have recently arrived in WA. Asylum seekers who are granted a humanitarian visa on shore in Australia are also eligible to attend .

Eligible visas include:

  • Subclass 200 (Refugee) visa
  • Subclass 201 (In-country Special Humanitarian) visa
  • Subclass 202 (Global Special Humanitarian) visa
  • Subclass 203 (Emergency Rescue) visa
  • Subclass 204 (Women at Risk) visa
  • Subclass 070 (Refugee Pending Bridging) visa
  • Subclass 786 (Temporary Humanitarian Concern) visa
  • Subclass 866 (Protection) visa

Cost: All services are free .

What the health assessment includes:

  • A thorough medical, psychological, obstetric and nutritional history
  • Screening for communicable diseases
  • Immunisation history review and catch-up plans
  • Referrals to appropriate outpatient clinics where indicated
  • Referral to refugee nurses in the community with a management plan

Contact HEHS: Ring 9222 8500 for all general enquiries. If you need an interpreter, call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) first on 13 14 50 and ask to be connected to the Anita Clayton Centre on 9222 8500 .

Location: 1 / 311 Wellington St (Corner of Wellington and Pier St), Perth WA 6000 .

Hours: Monday to Friday 8.15am to 4.15pm .

Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) – Refugee Health Service and Perth Children’s Hospital Refugee Clinic also provide specialist care for children and young people from refugee backgrounds .

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Many asylum seekers have experienced trauma and face significant stress during the settlement process. Specialised mental health support is available in WA.

ASeTTS (Association for Services to Torture and Trauma Survivors) provides specialised torture and trauma counselling and other mental health services .

Contact ASeTTS: (08) 9227 2700 | reception@asetts.org.au .

Location: 286 Beaufort Street, Perth WA 6000 .

ASeTTS is one of the FASSTT agencies (Forum of Australian Services for Survivors of Torture and Trauma) providing trauma-informed support to people who have experienced torture, war, or violence before coming to Australia .

Community Connections: Finding Your People

While there is no dedicated Oromo organisation specifically listed for WA in the search results, there are several pathways to find community support:

Connect with multicultural support services:

  • CARAD and MCCWA can help connect you with cultural networks and community groups
  • The broader Oromo community in Australia is active, with organisations like Advocacy for Oromia based in Victoria that provide advocacy, information, and support for the Oromo community nationally

Understand your rights: Legal Aid WA provides a free online resource called “What’s the law? Australian law for new arrivals” to teach recent migrants and refugees about Australia’s legal system and help them avoid common problems .

What to Do: A Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Seek legal advice immediately. Contact Legal Aid WA on 1300 650 579 or Circle Green Community Legal on (08) 9225 8888 for free advice on your visa status and protection visa application .
  2. Register with a settlement support service. Contact CARAD on (08) 9227 7322 or MercyCare for SRSS support to access case management and connections to services .
  3. Access healthcare. Contact the Humanitarian Entrant Health Service on 9222 8500 for a free health assessment. If you need an interpreter, call TIS first on 13 14 50 .
  4. If you have experienced trauma, seek mental health support. Contact ASeTTS on (08) 9227 2700 for free specialist counselling .
  5. Connect with your community. Reach out to CARAD, MCCWA, or national Oromo community organisations. They can provide valuable support, information, and a sense of belonging .

A Message of Hope

Seeking asylum is a journey of courage. You have already taken the most difficult step by seeking safety. In Western Australia, you are not alone—a network of legal experts, healthcare providers, community organisations, and support services is ready to help you rebuild your life with dignity.

Advocacy for Oromia, founded in 2014 and dedicated to enabling and empowering the Oromo people, has supported asylum seekers in securing permanent residence and provided hope and stability for individuals facing uncertain futures . While based in Victoria, their success demonstrates that with the right support, asylum seekers in Australia can achieve positive outcomes .

You are not alone. Help is available. And your new life in Australia is beginning.