Dozens of Iraqi interpreters who have served the Australian Defence Force alongside Australian diggers battling Islamic State are seeking to come to Australia, but say they have been prevented from applying for visas.

It was their work with foreign forces that put them in danger, they said, with many of the “thousands” of soldiers and police they trained now allegedly associated with militias and able to recognise their faces.

The 60 or so interpreters sought Australia’s protection as state and sectarian violence fanned by anti-corruption protests plunged Baghdad into chaos. But they said the Australian embassy directed them to Lebanon or Jordan in order apply for visas – a near impossible personal and financial undertaking for many.

“Our work and service to the ADF and Australian government put our families and us under the spotlight of many adversaries of the Iraqi government and coalition forces,” interpreter Mohammed Hussain Ali Al-Sudny told the Guardian from Baghdad.

“We do not seek any special privileges or fast-tracking, just a fair go in getting a chance to have our applications lodged locally, our cases heard and considered.”

A spokesman for the Australian defence department said existing legislation allowed interpreters to apply for visas if a government minister certified they were at “at significant risk of harm as a result of their employment or support of Australia’s mission”.

Visa applications must be lodged at an Australian overseas mission, but Australia’s embassy in Baghdad does not accept visa applications.

The Guardian spoke to a number of the interpreters, many of whom lost their jobs as Australia downsized its commitment to training Iraqi Security Forces.

They said they were grateful to Australia for its commitment to Iraq and efforts to train the country’s domestic security forces, but that finding new work was difficult and Iraq was growing more unsafe, particularly for those seen to be allied to western military forces. The Guardian has been shown death threats received by some.

‘Our faces are well known’

The interpreters carry photos of themselves serving alongside Australian comrades – which the Guardian has chosen not to publish for security reasons – as well as multiple glowing references from coalition military leaders, including Task Group Taji and foreign military groups.

Al-Sudny, who is acting as spokesman for the group, has worked as an interpreter and cultural advisor for the Australian Defence Force’s Task Group Taji over four years and eight rotations of Australian troops.

A reference provided to Al-Sudny in November commends his “instrumental” work “as part of the Australian government’s approach to defeating Daesh in Iraq”.

“Mohammed has consistently conducted himself in a professional and ethical manner which emulates the key values of the Australian culture,” wrote Captain James Martin, team leader in Task Group Taji IX.

“Mohammed is a respectful, genuine and honourable man who has consistently gone above and beyond what is required, often at the expense of time with his family and personal safety.”

Al-Sudny said Iraq was no longer safe for his family. “On many occasions the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) has taken photographs at training sites that included unsolicited pictures of linguists,” he said. “It is well-known of the ties of many serving ISF to Shia militia groups.

“We still don’t tell anyone what we do for a living, it’s so dangerous to share this information, especially now because of the Iraqi government, and the militias blame the Americans and their allies for the situation in Iraq right now.”

A. Almohammedawi said he worked with Australian and New Zealand defence forces in Baghdad for almost two-and-a-half years until mid-2018. The married father of three trained “many thousands of soldiers and police elements to stand against the threat of Isis at that time”, he said.

“Me and my fellow interpreters now have to face the threat of militias because we helped the coalition forces and the Australian army members.”

Almohammedawi said he had seen photos of militia leaders set as wallpaper on officers’ phones, and corroborated claims that he and colleagues had been photographed and filmed by ISF.

“Our faces are well known by all these thousands of soldiers and police elements that we helped to get trained, [and] which were also affiliated to different dangerous militias.”

Interpeters want ‘a fair go’

In April 2008, the Rudd government announced 600 places within its humanitarian visa quota would be reserved for “locally engaged employees” from its Iraq operations, including interpreters, acknowledging that they had been “targeted” by insurgents for their connection to western forces.

The legislation remains current. However, Al-Sudny said interpreters attempting to apply for skilled or humanitarian visas at the Australian embassy in Baghdad were told “the Australian embassy in Amman [in Jordan] manages visa and citizenship services for clients in Iraq”.

Al-Sudny said it was not practical for interpreters to travel, often with families.

“We will be required to move to Jordan … to ensure we can attend personal interviews and screenings. This places a personal and financial burden upon us which we cannot carry.”

He said the latest direction was that the embassy in Jordan was not accepting certain types of visa applications either, and the interpreters would have to apply through Australia’s embassy in Beirut.

“We have served alongside the ADF for many years, have learned and understand much of Australian culture, including … mateship and ‘a fair go’.

“Applying for a visa to Australia is a dream for my wife and I – to get to Australia for a better future for our kids, because there is no future in Iraq for anyone.”

The interpreters have signed a petition requesting their visa applications be accepted in Baghdad, which has been received by Australia’s Senate standing committee on foreign affairs, defence and trade.

The petition has been forwarded to the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, the immigration minister, David Coleman, and the defence minister, Linda Reynolds.

Reynolds announced last month that Australia’s commitment to Task Force Taji would be roughly halved – from about 250 ADF personnel to 120 – because of Australia’s significant progress in “enhancing the capabilities of the ISF to defeat Daesh”. As a result, many interpreters have lost their jobs.

Iraq has descended into roiling and deadly protests since October and is effectively without a government. The country’s entire polity – constructed by the US after 2003 – risks unravelling completely, observers have said. Cities across the country, and in particular the capital, Baghdad, have been seized by violent protests, ostensibly over government corruption but also a growing anti-Iran sentiment.

Iraq’s prime minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi, announced his resignation last week, bowing to the country’s top cleric and pressure from protesters demanding the fall of his government and an end to rampant official corruption. Security forces killed at least 45 civilians who were protesting around the southern city of Nasiriyah, and protestors firebombed the Iranian consulate in Najaf.

The defence department spokesman said existing legislation allowed for visa applications from Iraqi “locally engaged employees” who had assisted the ADF.

“An applicant must first be certified by the relevant minister [minister for defence, minister for foreign affairs or attorney general] as being at significant risk of harm as a result of their employment or support to Australia’s mission,” he said. “Once eligibility is established, they may apply for a humanitarian visa.”

The spokesman said the government could not comment on individual cases. “Each application is considered on its individual merit using current and comprehensive information on circumstances in the relevant country.”