Writing your protection claims for subclass 790: answering the 11 questions on the form (2026)

The Safe Haven Enterprise visa (subclass 790) form asks eleven specific questions about your claims for protection, and you must answer all of them; where the space on the form runs out, you submit additional information and attach it to the application. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Safe Haven Enterprise visa (Subclass 790) official page, as of August 2026, the department can make a decision using only the information you provide when you lodge, and it uses your answers to assess whether you engage Australia's protection obligations. This article is general information about how that part of the form is put together and is not advice on any individual case — for your own circumstances, the current official page and any professional advice you choose to obtain remain the reference point.

What counts as a "claim for protection" on this form

On this visa, the claims section is the part of the application that carries the legal test. To be eligible you must be a refugee or meet the complementary protection criteria as defined by the Migration Act 1958; Australia must not return people to their home country where there is a risk they may suffer harm because they engage Australia's protection obligations. The eleven questions are the structure the department uses to work out whether that test is met.

That is why the official page is blunt about effort: it is in your interest to provide as much information as possible, your application should be truthful and complete, and you must provide documentation to support your claims wherever possible. Anything you leave out at lodgement is material the decision-maker may never see.

The 11 questions, and what each one is doing

Question on the form	What your answer has to establish
What country are you seeking protection from?	The specific country of feared harm, so the right country information and legal test apply.
Why did you leave that country?	The events and reasons that actually prompted departure, in sequence.
Why are you unable to return to that country?	Why return is not an option now, not just why leaving was necessary then.
Have you experienced harm in that country? If so, what harm?	Past harm, described concretely and dated, not summarised as a category.
Who caused the harm to you?	The actor — state authorities, security forces, a group, or private individuals.
What do you fear might happen to you if you return?	The forward-looking risk, stated as specific events rather than a general feeling.
Why do you think this will happen to you if you return?	The reason the risk is personal to you, linking past harm, threats or profile to future risk.
Is there an area where you would not be harmed, and could you relocate there?	Whether internal relocation is a real option in your circumstances.
Are the authorities in your country able to protect you?	Whether state protection is available to you, given who caused the harm.
When did you leave your home country?	The departure date anchors every other date in the account.
How did you get to Australia?	The travel route and method of arrival, which is also read against your entry and identity history.

Read as a whole, the questions move in one direction: from what happened, to who did it, to why it will happen again, to whether anyone could stop it, to whether you could live safely somewhere else in that country. A statement that answers the first six questions well and says nothing about the last three has left the decision-maker with untested reasons to refuse.

Why the written statement carries so much weight

The department may decide a subclass 790 application on the information provided at lodgement. It will contact you if an interview is required, and interviews are an opportunity to clarify the claims already made, but you may not get another opportunity to present those claims at all. Most protection visa interviews are conducted by videoconference, and the official page states plainly that if you do not attend a scheduled interview, the application can be decided on the information available at the time.

Two consequences follow. First, the statement has to stand on its own. Second, accuracy matters more than polish: if you provide incorrect information on purpose, the department may question your credibility and may refuse the application.

How to structure your answers

Organise the account chronologically and keep the timelines intact. The form asks for your education, work, travel, relationship and address history, and the official guidance is to include all information so there are no gaps — if you were unemployed for a period, record it rather than leaving a hole between two jobs. Unexplained gaps in a protection claim are read as missing information, not as neutral silence.

Within each incident, give what a reader cannot infer: the date or approximate period, the place, the people involved, what was said or done, and what happened immediately afterwards. Where a question asks why you think something will happen, the answer needs a stated connection — a past threat, a pattern affecting people in your situation, or the fact that the actor who harmed you still holds power where you would return.

The internal relocation and state protection questions deserve separate, deliberate paragraphs rather than a one-line denial. "No, I could not relocate" and "the authorities cannot protect me" are conclusions; the form is asking for the reasons behind them, such as who controls that area, whether you have ties or language there, or whether the same authorities you fear are the ones who would have to protect you.

Evidence to attach to the claims

Attach any documents or evidence you think will support your claims through ImmiAccount. The official page also sets evidence requirements that sit alongside the claims rather than inside them:

Identity, nationality and citizenship: colour scans or photos of original and translated documents, including all pages of current or expired passports, birth certificate, national identity card, driver's licence, and proof of change of name if applicable. If you cannot provide these, provide a statement explaining why you have no travel or identity documents.
Relationships: documents supporting the relationship between each person in the application, including birth or marriage certificates and financial documents evidencing dependency of dependants over 18.
Military service: service records or discharge papers for anyone in the application who served in the armed forces of any country.
Police certificates: required from each country you lived in for 12 months or more during the past 10 years after turning 16, other than the country you are claiming protection from — and the department asks you not to arrange these until asked.
Visas or residence permits: copies for you and each person included in the application.

Written claims and supporting documents are assessed together; inconsistency between the two is what most often undermines an otherwise coherent account.

If someone else fills in the form for you

Only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person can give immigration assistance on your application — appointed using Form 956 — while anyone can be appointed to receive documents on your behalf using Form 956A.

Even then, the responsibility does not transfer. If a migration agent completes your application form, you must read and understand all the information included in it before signing, and before signing any statutory declaration you make. You are responsible for the claims made in the form. The official page is explicit on one point: do not sign blank pages or documents, even if asked to.

After you lodge

You can provide more relevant information in writing at any time until a decision is made, and if you did not include all relevant documents when you applied, you can attach them through ImmiAccount as soon as possible. If the department asks for more information, there is a set date to respond by, after which it can decide on what it has. If you realise you made a mistake on your application, Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers is the mechanism the official page names.

Other steps run in parallel and do not replace the written claims: health examinations are arranged after lodgement once you receive a health identifier (HAP ID), biometrics may be requested, and if biometrics are requested and not provided the application is invalid. A bridging visa may be granted while the application is processed; if you leave Australia before the visa is granted, that bridging visa expires and you cannot re-enter without another valid visa.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to answer all eleven questions?

Yes. The official page states you must answer all the questions on the application form about your claims for protection, and that you should provide documentation to support your claims wherever possible. A question left unanswered leaves part of the legal test unaddressed.

What if I run out of space on the form?

Submit additional information and attach it to the application. The written statement can continue as a separate document; what matters is that it is attached to the ImmiAccount application and consistent with what you entered on the form.

Will I be interviewed about my claims?

Not necessarily. The department will contact you if an interview is required, and it is an opportunity to clarify the claims in your application, but a decision may be made on the information provided at lodgement and you may not get another opportunity to present those claims. Most protection visa interviews are conducted by videoconference.

Can I add information after I have lodged?

Yes, in writing, at any time until a decision is made on your application. If the department requests further information, you will have a set date to respond by, after which it can decide using the information it already holds.

Can I get someone else to write my claims for me?

Only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person may give immigration assistance. Even so, you must read and understand everything in the form before signing it, you remain responsible for the claims made, and you should not sign blank pages or documents.

What happens if something in my statement is wrong?

Tell the department as soon as you can and use Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers. The official page also warns that providing incorrect information on purpose can lead to your credibility being questioned and your application being refused.

Is my account enough on its own, or do I need documents?

You must provide documentation to support your claims wherever possible, and you should attach all relevant documents to ImmiAccount. Documents are also separately required for identity, nationality and citizenship, relationships, military service, and police certificates for countries you have lived in.