Cash and voucher assistance

About our emergency relief

Australian Red Cross provides limited cash and voucher assistance (CVA) to some people on temporary visas who are experiencing financial hardship and vulnerability.

Cash assistance (also known as emergency relief) is a small one-off payment to help you with your basic needs like food, shelter and medicine.

We have limited funding and we receive a high number of applications from across Australia. For this reason, we must prioritise support for people with the least access to income, services, and support networks.

Eligibility guidelines

Due to limited funding, we have had to prioritise people seeking Protection in Australia. Please only apply if you have submitted an application for a Protection Visa and can provide evidence of your application.

Who may be eligible

You may be eligible if:

• You hold a temporary visa.
• Are over 18 years of age.
• You are living in Australia.
• You meet our financial hardship threshold and are experiencing vulnerability (e.g., unable to meet basic needs such as food, housing, or medical care).

Please note that New Zealand citizens are not eligible as they have broader access to services and work rights in Australia.

What we consider in our assessment

To make fair and consistent decisions, we consider the whole of your circumstances. We assess factors that affect both your level of financial hardship and your ability to access other supports, including:

• Your visa conditions, including your work rights and access to government supports
• Your capacity to access alternative means of support, including employment, financial resources, community supports and services
• Your ability to independently access information, employment and other services (for example, your English language proficiency)
• Whether you have family, community, or other support networks available to you
• Your access to savings, assets or other financial resources
• The overall impact of your circumstances on your health and wellbeing

We acknowledge that anyone can face difficulty, however, this program is designed to assist people who have very limited options for support due to situations such as their visa conditions, isolation, or other barriers.

Why is eligibility so restricted?

Our emergency relief program is small and largely funded internally by Red Cross, although we do have a small Government funded program in Victoria. We aim to help as many people as possible, but due to high demand across the country and limited resources, we prioritise people who are in the most vulnerable situations and who have no other support options.

How do I apply?

Make sure you have read the Eligibility Guidelines, gathered your documentation and watched the How to Apply video before applying.

Information and documentation you need before you start

Identity documents

Red Cross uses a Document Verification Service to verify identity. You will need to provide information from one of the following:

• Passport
• Immicard
• Drivers licence
• Medicare card

Visa details

• Passport number or other travel document number.
• If you are applying for a protection visa, further evidence such as an acknowledgement letter from Immigration or letter from a legal service/support agency.
• If you are unsure or do not have a current visa, select ‘uncertain’ and please upload your last valid visa grant letter. Red Cross does not share personal or visa information with the government.

Financial details

Current 30-day (minimum) transaction listings/histories from ALL bank accounts in your and your partner’s (if you have one) name

• You must provide transaction listings over the last 30 days for all bank accounts held by you and your partner (if you have one). If transaction listings are not uploaded, your application may be declined.
• If your transaction listing does not show spending, please add a message in your application detailing how you have been paying for food and shelter.
• Transaction listings should include your name, BSB and account name.
• Please download your transaction listings from the bank’s app or website and upload the PDF file to your application – please do not upload screenshots. Transaction listings in other formats than PDF (e.g. CSV, etc) aren’t acceptable.
• Do not upload credit card statements.

If you need help with downloading a statement with a list of transactions download this document which explains how to do it on a banks website or app..

You must confirm that all information provided to Red Cross is true and correct. If your application contains information or documentation believed to be false or misleading, including concealing any relevant circumstances, it will be declined.

If you have applied for emergency relief with Red Cross before, please use the same username and password to login.

I need help now

• If your health or safety is in danger now, call 000.
• 13 11 14 - Lifeline Crisis Support
• 1800 737 732 (1800 RESPECT) – Family & Domestic Violence
• 1800 55 1800 - Kids Helpline
• The Leaving Violence Program supports people leaving a partner who uses violence with financial and other supports.
• DSS Service Directory – search for DSS Emergency Relief providers in your area
• AskIzzy – search for support by suburb
• If you can access your savings, or support from home, please do so.
• If you think you or someone you know is being exploited at work in Australia, help is available. Visit our Work Right Hub »

Information for service providers

Service providers can help a person to apply via the online portal.

If you are supporting someone to apply, do not use your work email address; applications must be made using the applicant’s personal email. If the client does not currently have an email address, please support them to open a new one.