The Safe Haven Hub aims to provide education, training and employment assistance to migrants currently on a Safe Haven Enterprise Visa or Temporary Protection Visa, as well as humanitarian entrants.

The $1.2 million program is funded by the state government and is already helping clients across Tasmania. 

CatholicCare multicultural services programs manager James Norman said the program would help new migrants achieve long-term success in the state. 

He said increasing the state’s migrant intake would create broad economic benefits.

“We all know people bring tremendous skills and experience with them so providing an opportunity for the state to benefit from those is going to be terrific,” Mr Norman said.

“Hopefully it will also attract some people to the state by providing them with the support they need when they first arrive.”

Launceston-based Safe Haven Hub Employment and Training coordinator Rhonda McCoy said the program would operate in collaboration with other key services including the Migrant Resource Centre and Linc Tasmania. 

She said the program would work with employers to combat the stigma that hiring migrants on a visa can be difficult. 

“We work with industries so if an industry is reluctant to take on newly arrived people we can debunk any myths and give them some multicultural support and awareness,” Ms McCoy said.

“It doesn’t have to be difficult and I am here to help people through that process.”

The state government has accepted an intake of about 500 Syrian refugees which are due to begin arriving at the end of 2016. 

The new arrivals will live across Tasmania.