Irina Chapman watched on in horror as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unfolded in recent weeks.
The Ukrainian Australian, who lives in Melbourne, held grave fears for her parents who live near Kyiv.
“I talked to my parents, and we decided to get them any kind of visa, even a tourist visa, so they could come to Australia and have somewhere to hide,” she told SBS Ukrainian.
Highlights
- Irina Chapman's application for a tourist visa for her parents to come to Australia from Ukraine took seven hours to process
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison signalled that his government would prioritise visa applications from Ukraine
- 'Very fast': Sydney-based migration agent Nadiia Zdielnik says she has seen several tourist visa applications processed in one day
Ms Chapman said the process was made easier because her parents had already visited Australia before.
“At 6 am [on 25 February] I logged in to my ImmiAccount. They had already been to Australia in 2017-2018. I copied their previous visa applications and added new papers from us,” she told SBS Ukrainian.
“I added an invitation letter saying that due to the war in Ukraine we are asking for assistance to help my parents travel here. I supplied our bank statements, proof of employment, mortgage papers. Basically, that’s it.” 
Melburnian Irina Chapman moved quickly to get her parents out of Ukraine. Source: Irina Chapman
As her parents are both over 70 years of age, usually they would be required to undertake a health examination.
“I was advised to request to waive this form as an exemption because they simply are not able to do it,” Ms Chapman said.
“I submitted my application at 1 pm and by 8 pm the visas were issued. They are tourist visas. I requested six-month visas and that’s what we have received.”
Let’s hope that in six months’ time, either the situation in Ukraine has changed or there will be some humanitarian visas.
For now, Ms Chapman says she will not be at peace until her parents are by her side in Melbourne. 
A Ukrainian family take the Dnipro-Truskavets train at the Lviv railway station, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022, in Lviv, west Ukraine. Source: AP
Visa applicants from Ukraine a priority
The family joins around 600,000 others who have fled the country since the start of the conflict, as the European Union (EU) estimates that up to four million people may try to leave the country.
This week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison signalled that his government would prioritise visa applications from Ukraine.
According to a statement provided to SBS Ukrainian by the Department of Home Affairs, it had finalised “hundreds” of on-hand applications from Ukrainian nationals over recent days.
The Department confirmed it is prioritising the processing of visa applications from Ukrainian nationals, primarily applications from family members of Australian citizens and permanent residents in Ukraine.
“The Prime Minister has announced that automatic visa extensions for six months will be provided for Ukrainian nationals in Australia who have visas expiring up to 30 June 2022.
“Visa holders do not need to do anything to receive this extension. The Department is contacting visa holders in Australia who have visas expiring in the coming weeks to make arrangements if they wish to remain in Australia.
“Consideration of Humanitarian support options will be undertaken in conjunction with key partners to provide targeted support, including UNHCR,” the statement read.
Australia’s Offshore Humanitarian Program is designed primarily to assist people who have left their home country because of persecution and severe human rights abuses, and who have no options for return or for resettlement in another country.
Despite the government’s moves, refugee advocates have criticised Mr Morrison for appearing to misrepresent the government's visa response for people from Afghanistan fleeing the Taliban.
Sydney-based migration agent Nadiia Zdielnik says she is seeing signs of the processing priority for Ukrainian nationals. Source: Nadiia Zdielnik
Nadiia Zdielnik, a migration agent from Sydney, told SBS Ukrainian that she is seeing signs of the processing priority for this cohort.
She explained that there are options available for Ukrainians who are currently in Ukraine and in Australia.
“Firstly, if you already applied for an Australian visa, it will be processed as a priority. Mr Morrison said that there will be several visa options available, like student visas or working visas, for example.”
“Also, we have independent migrant visas but this program has been put on hold so it might not be the fastest option.
“If you have relatives in Australia, you can apply for a tourist visa. We submitted several applications, and they were processed in one day. This is very fast. Usually processing time of tourists’ visas is 3-4 months.
“Finally, Ukrainians who are already in Australia can stay here for another six months.”
