Caught in Australia’s campaign to ‘stop the boats’, 30,000 people reached the shore only to enter a legal limbo.

Meet the ‘legacy caseload’ and the system that keeps them in perpetual uncertainty.

How we got here
How we got here
Who are the people of the ‘legacy caseload’ and why are they caught in perpetual uncertainty?
Zaki
Zaki
runs marathons and the gauntlet of Australia’s temporary protection system for refugees.
Elaheh
Elaheh
translates the love she learned from her mother and grandmother for a son who might never get to meet them.
Kumar
Kumar
was prepared for the interview that would decide his fate – but he didn’t expect it to last nine hours.
Arman
Arman
is stuck in the ‘meat-grinder’ of appeals, even though his home is now not considered safe.
Yehye
Yehye
fled war and religious persecution, but his temporary protection means he must prove he is a refugee over and over again.
Hani
Hani
came from the land of poets and pirates to an Australian detention centre, where she began to write her own newspaper – and rise.
Get the facts
Get the facts
To understand the architecture of temporariness, learn how Australia’s laws keep some refugees in limbo.

In words, audio, music and art, here are their stories.

Temporary: The podcast

Introducing the eight-episode series from UNSW and Guardian Australia, hosted by Sisonke Msimang, where members of the legacy caseload tell their own stories.

Trailer