Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period
On this page
- What is the Newly Arrived Resident’s Waiting Period?
- If I am serving the newly arrived Resident’s Waiting period, can I still use Centrelink services?
- Who is exempt from the Newly Arrived Resident’s Waiting Period?
- Do other payments have Newly Arrived Resident’s Waiting Period?
- Centrelink publications
- More information
What is the Newly Arrived Resident’s Waiting Period?
If you are a new migrant to Australia you generally do not have immediate access to social security payments from Centrelink.
As a newly arrived resident you will usually need to wait 104 weeks (Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period) before you can access most payments and benefits, eg:
- Austudy
- Carer Payment (caring for a person 16 years or over)
- Carer Payment (caring for a child under 16 years)
- Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
- Health Care Card (low income)
- Mobility Allowance
- Newstart Allowance
- Pensioner Education Supplement
- Sickness Allowance
- Special Benefit
- Youth Allowance
Its length, how it is calculated and who it applies to depends on your arrival in Australia and the benefit you apply for. Periods spent in Australia as an Australian resident at any time in your life can be counted towards the waiting period.
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If I am serving the Newly Arrived Resident’s Waiting Period, can I still use Centrelink services?
Yes, once you are registered with Centrelink, you can register with Job Services Australia for help to find work. You can also use the Employment Self Help facilities available in Centrelink Customer Service Centres.
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Who is exempt from the Newly Arrived Resident’s Waiting Period?
There are a number of exemptions from the Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period including if you are an Australian citizen or the family member of an Australian citizen, a person who arrived under a refugee or humanitarian program or are the holder of certain visa subclasses.
If you are in hardship because of a substantial change of circumstances beyond your control, you may be eligible for Special Benefit. Losing or not being able to find a job is generally not considered to be a change of circumstances.
There are additional reasons which exempt some people from the waiting period for certain benefits. You should lodge a claim with Centrelink to test whether you are eligible for an exemption.
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Do other payments have a Newly Arrived Resident’s Waiting Period?
There is no waiting period for family payments which help with the cost of bringing up children. Migrants also have immediate access to health care under Medicare Australia.
Pensions and some allowances do not have a Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting period, but have 'qualifying residence' requirements:
- Parenting Payment and Widow Allowance have qualifying residence requirements of 104 weeks
- Age Pension and Disability Support Pension have qualifying residence requirements of 10 years.
There are some exceptions to these requirements, for example, if you become disabled after arriving in Australia, or are a refugee, or come from a country with which Australia has a social security agreement and the agreement covers the payment you are claiming.
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Centrelink publications
You can view multilingual publications from the Publications section of this website or you can:
- view the Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period factsheet.
More information
- Contact your nearest Centrelink Customer Service Centre
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