Afghan interpreters who worked with Australia during the war have less than six months to apply for a humanitarian visa.
The “locally engaged employee” program will close to applicants on November 30 before it winds up in March next year.
Before then, the visa scheme will be broadened to include security guards and former Afghan government and military personnel who were employed by Australia.
The eligibility expansion follows an independent review by former public servant Vivienne Thom.
Dr Thom was scathing of the program, saying the defence and foreign affairs departments were ill equipped to assess applications in a timely way.
“Neither DFAT nor Defence have adequate case management systems in place,” she said.
More than 2500 Afghan workers and their families – from interpreters to consular staff – have been resettled in Australia in the past decade.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong criticised the previous government for its handling of evacuations after Afghanistan fell to Taliban rule in 2021.
“The Morrison government failed to adequately plan for the evacuation of Afghan employees and oversaw a program characterised by inconsistencies and irregular decision making, poor administration, and inadequate communication with applicants,” she said.
More than 12,000 permanent humanitarian visas have been granted to Afghan citizens under the program since the fall of Kabul.
Australian Associated Press