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. 

“Trust God, trust RACS, and trust yourself. 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.