Perth man Salem Askari was in a state of disbelief when he heard he and 19,000 other refugees would no longer be blocked from getting a permanent visa in Australia because they arrived on boats.
He said it ended 10 years of uncertainty, emotional stress and financial barriers for himself and others who had been living in "limbo".
"It was just a shock, and a relief and anxiety at the same time," Mr Askari said.
"Anxious [because] I could not even believe that it was something real.
"I was like, are you 100 per cent sure?"
Mr Askari is part of a cohort of refugees who were not allowed to apply for permanent visas because they had arrived in Australia by boat, before the federal government started turning them back in 2013.
Despite having been in Australia for 10 years, federal policy prevented them from accessing study or bank loans, and prevented them from sponsoring family members to join them in Australia.
Mr Askari had been unable to sponsor his wife to join him in Perth, leaving him powerless to act and fearful for her safety amid the Taliban takeover in 2021.
He said it was "exhilarating" to learn on the weekend that the policy would be changed starting Monday.
Mr Askari said he called his wife as soon as he heard the news.
"She understands that it is not going to be an immediate fix," he said.
"But the fact that now we have something — at least a pathway that we can work towards — it just gives you the reassurance that … it's going to happen eventually."
Mr Askari, a stonemason, said the change also opened doors to opportunities that Australians often take for granted, such as buying a house or starting a business.
He said it also lifted an emotional weight that had taken a toll on himself and his wife over the years.
"That anxiety that comes with this precarious nature of the visa, that made us absolutely and horribly … in a very difficult situation mentally, physically and everything — from all aspects of our life," Mr Askari said.
"I cannot even put into words how much change in a positive way it can make to our life."
'We can finally say we belong'
The elimination of Temporary Protection Visas and Safe Haven Enterprise Visas, an election promise by the Labor government, came into effect on Monday.
Refugees who arrived in Australia before Operation Sovereign Borders started in 2013 will now be able to apply for a permanent Resolution of Status (RoS) visa, and will also be permitted to apply to become citizens if they meet the eligibility requirements.
They will also have access to social security payments and NDIS.
Parwana Rohani, who arrived in Australia when she was 13, couldn't sleep after she learned the news Sunday night.
"I kept waking up," she said.
"And every time … I was like, 'Damn, I can't believe this happened'."
Ms Rohani and her family survived when the boat they were on sank near Christmas Island, killing two of the other passengers.
After she graduated from high school, Ms Rohani was classified as a foreign student for tertiary education, meaning she had to pay up to three times as much as other local students to study at TAFE and university.
An aspiring immigration lawyer, she had to save to study unit-by-unit, creating financial difficulties for her and her family.
The government change will make Ms Rohani eligible for HECS-HELP loans to pay for her classes, and to apply for a bank loan and fulfil her dream of buying a house.
She said her deep sense of relief was also due to a new feeling of belonging.
"We can finally can say that we belong somewhere," Ms Rohani said.
"It just never felt like we can call anywhere home and now we get to actually call Australia home."
Alison Xamon, the general manager of the Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees, said her clients had expressed a mixture of joy and relief.
She said the announcement, an election commitment from the Albanese government, was long overdue.
"These are people who have arrived here, and who have been through hell, frankly," Ms Xamon told ABC Radio Perth host Nadia Mitsopoulos.
"They nevertheless are now in the community, they've been working, they're paying their taxes.
"For too many of these people, while they have been waiting desperately to be reunited with their family, some of their family had been killed back in the countries that they've actually had to flee from."
Processing underway
The government said about 5,000 temporary visa applications were currently being processed and successful applicants would automatically receive a permanent visa.
The federal government said in a statement it believed Australia could keep its borders safe while showing humanity, adding that all of the temporary visa holders had been found to be refugees.
"Let me be crystal clear — if you try to enter Australia without a valid visa you will be turned back or returned to your port of origin," Minister of Home Affairs Clare O'Neil said.
"There is zero chance of settling in Australia under Operation Sovereign Borders.
"The Australian Defence Force and Australian Border Force are patrolling our waters to intercept and return any boats that try to enter."
