Mohsen’s Story
When Mohsen fled Iran in his early twenties, he didn’t expect to spend the next two years of his life detained on Christmas Island.
“There were lots of ups and down in that period,” he said. “But we were safe.”
From 2013 till 2015, Mohsen was detained on Christmas Island, then in Perth, then in Darwin. He was finally released from detention in 2015.
It was after moving to Sydney that he connected with RACS in what he calls a “miracle”.
“One of the community centres contacted me and introduced me to RACS. You guys were like angels who came to my life and did all the legal stuff from scratch,” he said.
When he was released from detention, Mohsen was given a bridging visa. This temporary visa was riddled with issues. For example, Mohsen had difficulty finding meaningful employment, despite having working rights.
“I applied [for jobs] with 38 organisations and received 38 declined applications. The organisations didn’t have a policy to see that some people with bridging visas actually have the right to work.”
RACS helped Mohsen apply for a Safe Haven Enterprise visa (SHEV) in 2017, which he was granted in 2018. This visa allowed Mohsen to study, and he was awarded a scholarship for refugees by Western Sydney University to complete his Bachelor of Business.
“The path was, day by day, getting better and smoother in regard to studying, working and then establishing my own business.”
In 2023, the Government announced the introduction of the Resolution of Status visa, offering permanent protection to those eligible. Mohsen was one of these people.
“It was quick processing time with RACS, they had a really good community information session,” he said. “We applied a few weeks after the RoS announcement and in July we got our RoS visas.”
Ten years after arriving in Australia, this young man at last had certainty about his future. He said the moment he found out left him speechless.
“My first reaction was to pause. My heart and my brain, I just paused. Then I felt so happy and free. It was a very strange, beautiful moment for me.”
Mohsen will be eligible for Australian citizenship later in 2024 and says that is something he very much looks forward to.
Mohsen’s advice for countless others in similar situations is to continue to hope.
"Have hope and don’t let it die. Hope helped me over the last few years before I got the RoS visa,” he said.
Mohsen is now a finance professional and recently received Finsure’s NSW/ACT Middle Champion Award for his work in the mortgage brokering industry.
Passionate about sharing his learnings with others, he volunteers his time to educate newly arrived university students – including refugees – on managing their personal finances. You can get in touch with Mohsen via LinkedIn if you are interested in his tips.
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Afsaneh
RACS first met Afsaneh at one of our outreach events in Western Sydney, back in early 2017. It had already been several years since she had arrived in Australia and she was still in limbo.
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Aisha
Aisha*, living as a persecuted minority in her country, was granted a humanitarian visa and fled to Australia on her own. But after years of building a life here under the protection she was granted, Aisha’s status was abruptly deemed unlawful. Distressed about her situation, Aisha contacted RACS for help.
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Ali
At just 16 years old, Ali Haidari arrived in Australia alone, having fled his home country of Afghanistan. Ali was determined to build a future in Australia, but he understood that would be impossible without first being granted a protection visa.
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Emil
Emil arrived in Australia alone in 2002, after fleeing religious persecution in his home country. When he reached out to RACS for support in applying for protection, he didn’t know that same support that would extend to another family member, many years later.
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Jeanine
When Jeanine fled her home country in East Africa, she became separated from her two sons. After reaching out to RACS, she was granted a permanent visa and from there, was able to apply to be reunited with her children in Australia.
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Maggie
Maggie was born and grew up in Sierra Leone. As a soccer-loving student with big dreams, Maggie decided to forge a path in sports journalism.
As she was maturing into a professional and empowered individual, she became involved in advocating for the health of women and girls.
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Maryam
Maryam and her family arrived in Australia in 2012. With no protection, no support and no finances, the family’s situation seemed bleak. Read more to hear how RACS was able to assist Maryam to gain permanent safety in Australia.
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Mohsen
When Mohsen fled Iran in his early twenties, he didn’t expect to spend the next two years of his life detained on Christmas Island.
“There were lots of ups and down in that period,” he said. “But we were safe.”
