Starting a new life in Australia is a huge step, and the NDIS can feel like one more confusing system on top of everything else. If you or a family member lives with disability, here is a clear and reassuring guide to getting the support you are entitled to.
The NDIS is support, not welfare
The NDIS is not a handout and it is not charity. It is a national scheme that funds disability related supports so that people with permanent and significant disability can live more independently, work, study and take part in their community. It is funded the way Medicare is funded, out of taxes everyone contributes to, and asking for it is not asking for a favour.
That distinction matters because a lot of newly arrived families carry a very reasonable caution about official systems, built up over years in places where dealing with a government office rarely went well. That caution is not irrational. It is just aimed at the wrong target here.
Whether your visa meets the residence test
This is the first thing to settle, because everything else follows from it. The National Disability Insurance Agency states the residence requirement plainly on its eligibility page (current as of 9 June 2026): you must be an Australian citizen, or hold a permanent residency visa, or hold a Protected Special Category visa, which is only for some citizens of New Zealand. You must also live in Australia and spend most of your time here.
A permanent humanitarian visa is a permanent residency visa. If your family arrived through Australia's refugee and humanitarian program and holds a permanent visa, you generally meet this part of the test.
A temporary visa does not meet it. That includes bridging visas and temporary protection arrangements, however long you have been here and however settled your life feels. If you are part way through an application for permanent residency, the honest answer is that the NDIS door is not open yet, and the useful thing to do now is find out what other supports are available while you wait.
The NDIA can check your residence and citizenship against your Centrelink record with your consent. If you would rather not give consent, you supply the documents yourself: a birth or arrival document such as a full birth certificate, passport or Australian Citizenship Certificate, plus evidence that you live here.
The rest of the eligibility test
Beyond residence, the same rules apply to you as to anyone else.
- You must be younger than 65 on the day you make your application.
- You need one or more impairments likely to be permanent, which substantially reduce your ability to do daily activities.
- Children come in through the early childhood approach, which covers children younger than 9.
You can also be eligible under the early intervention requirements, where support now would reduce the support you need in future. Our 2026 guide to NDIS eligibility goes through all five steps the NDIA checks, in the agency's own words.
The steps, made simple
The process becomes far less daunting when you break it into pieces and do one at a time.
- Step one, gather evidence. The NDIA needs to see what your impairment is, that it is likely to be permanent, and how it affects your daily life. It asks for assessments, reports and written statements, and it says openly that you should start collecting these before you apply.
- Step two, make an access request. You contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110 and ask to apply, or you submit an access request form.
- Step three, wait for the access decision. Under the Participant Service Guarantee the NDIA aims to decide who can use the NDIS within 90 days (current as of 27 August 2026), and within 14 days of receiving extra information it asked you for.
- Step four, meet to build your plan. If you are found eligible, someone works through your goals and support needs with you and a plan is approved.
The gap between step one and step two is where an application is won or lost, and where translated medical documents from another country often need a local report alongside them.
Get an interpreter, every time
Do not do this in your second language to be polite. Interpreting for the NDIS is delivered by TIS National on the scheme's behalf, and the NDIA states that NDIS participants and carers are not charged for language interpreting services (that page current as of 3 May 2026). TIS National contracts more than 3,000 certified interpreters across Australia in more than 160 languages.
You can call TIS National direct on 131 450, or ask to speak to the NDIS on 1800 800 110. Your planner, NDIS partner or support coordinator can book a certified interpreter for you, and the NDIA says it will give you an interpreter even if you bring a family member who speaks English. You can also ask for your plan in your preferred language.
Ask at the very first contact, so it is recorded on your file, and name your dialect if it matters. The NDIA also notes that interpreters interpret spoken words only, so an interpreter cannot give you advice about the NDIS. That is a job for a support coordinator or a service like ours.
You do not have to do it alone
Our settlement support helps newly arrived families understand how local services work, prepare documents, and attend appointments. If your family also lives with disability, we can help you work out whether an NDIS application makes sense before you start one, in a culturally safe way that respects your faith and how your household makes decisions. To start that conversation in a language other than English, call TIS National on 131 450 at any time and ask them to connect you with Crescent Care.
Reach out and we will guide you from the very first question, whether or not you ever become a client.
Ready to take the next step?
Our Liverpool team is here to listen and help, with an interpreter if you want one, at your pace.
