PEOPLE IN ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE DETENTION

Updated Jan 2025.

Onshore

979

People held in onshore immigration detention as at 31 Dec 2024. Of whom, 152 arrived ‘unlawfully’ by air or boat.

155

People in community detention (designated address, nightly curfews, no security guards).

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

Maritime Arrival: 99
Overstayer: 218
Section 501 Cancellation: 542
Other Visa Cancellation: 67
Air Arrival - Non Immigration Cleared: 44
Illegal fishermen and illegal air arrival: 9

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

10

People in detention who are stateless (approx figure). Their average duration of detention was 1172 days and 2 are on a removal pathway.

Source: Refugee Council of Australia

188

New Zealanders in onshore immigration detention. Followed by Iranians (63) and Indian (58).

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

5>

Children in locked detention, all in NSW. In February 2024 there were six children in locked detention.

47

Children in community detention in Australia (designated address, nightly curfew, no guards).

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

467

Average days spent in immigration detention.

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

181

People have been detained for more than 2 years onshore (19% of total detention population).

Of them, 63 people have been detained for more than 5 years.

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

Offshore

94

People are in Nauru, at 31 August 2024.

Source: Refugee Council of Australia.

64

The approximate number of people still in PNG. 

Source: Refugee Council of Australia

1106

People resettled in the US under the United States resettlement deal. Around 1,900 people applied for US resettlement.

188

People resettled in New Zealand under the Australia-New Zealand deal.

Source: Refugee Council of Australia

21

People who were subject to offshore processing have died since 2014, including 7 by known or suspected suicide.

Source:  Refugee Council of Australia.

>$12 billion

Spent on offshore processing since 2012. The 23-24 Budget allocates $485,721 to offshore processing arrangements.

Source: Refugee Council of Australia. 

1106

People who were transferred offshore are currently in Australia. This includes 838 people who were part of the pre-19 July 2013 group.

Source: Refugee Council of Australia

Statistics are updated when source updates are published. Request an asylum statistic: info@asyluminsight.com

REFUGEES & PEOPLE SEEKING ASYLUM IN THE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY

Updated Oct 2024 with latest data available.

Bridging Visa E (BVE)

at 30 June 2024

9,362

Asylum seekers on a current BVE living in the community. They cannot apply for protection because they came by boat on or after 19 July 2013. Of them, 43% are in Victoria, 37% are in NSW, and 10% in Queensland. Around 900 are children (437 in Victoria, 233 in NSW).

2,104

People living in the community have expired BVEs that have not yet been renewed. When a person’s visa expires their work and Medicare rights are suspended.

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

The ‘Legacy Caseload’ and TPV

at Sept 2024

32,292

People seeking asylum in Australia from the ‘UMA Legacy Caseload'. Of whom 2,430 are awaiting a decision on a protection application.

20,570

People in the legacy caseload have secured a TPV/SHEV or Resolution of Status (RoS) visa.

7,205

People in the legacy caseload are without a visa (expired, cancelled or refused).

3,404

People have secured non-protection visas, left Australia or have died.

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

Permanent Protection Visas (onshore)

At 31 Dec 2024

1,817

people in Australia were granted permanent protection visas from 01 July to 31 Dec 2024. In the 23-24 financial year a total of 3,250 people were granted permanent protection visas onshore (up from 2,000 the previous year).

12,115

People in Australia applied for permanent protection from 01 July to 31 Dec 2024. A total of 27,229 onshore protection applications were made in the 23-24 year (up from 18,738 the previous year). The top 3 nationalities of applicants in the current financial year are Chinese (1,298), Indian (1,054), Vietnamese (802), Filipino (616) and Indonesian (592).

12,871

People in Australia were refused permanent protection from 01 July to 31 Dec 2024. The total number refused in the 23-24 year was 18,507 (up from 12,752 the previous year).

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

29,967

People in Australia are awaiting a decision on their refugee claim (down from 37,093 three years ago).

91,001

People in Australia have been refused a permanent protection visa, but have not yet departed (up from 52,032 three years ago). This figure includes people who are awaiting a merits or judicial review of their case.

Source: Department of Home Affairs

Vulnerable Women and Children

2,645

People were granted visas under the vulnerable women and children program in 2022-23. Almost half were Afghans.

*No data has been published for the 23-24 year.

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

Community Support Program

1,291

People were granted visas under the Community Support Program whereby organisations or individuals sponsor the refugee.

Administrative Appeals Tribunal

12,278

New protection cases lodged at the AAT in the 23 - 24 year. At 30 June 2024, AAT had a total of 40,581 protection appeals on hand.

Source: Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

Note: The new tribunal (Administrative Review Tribunal) commenced operations on 14 October 2024, meaning a significant period between the conclusion of one tribunal and commencement of the other.

Administrative Review Tribunal

2,717

New protection appeals lodged at ART from 14 Oct 24 to 30 Nov 24. In this period, 1,194 cases were finalised and 42,997 protection appeals were on hand.

Source: Administrative Review Tribunal.

Source: Administrative Appeals Tribunal

209

The average number of weeks the AAT took to finalise a protection case.

Source: Administrative Appeals Tribunal

Statistics are updated regularly. Request an asylum statistic: info@asyluminsight.com.

BOAT TURNBACKS BY AUSTRALIA

Between 1 May 2022 - 31 Dec 2024, 26 boats carrying a total of around 475 people were intercepted at sea. The people were either transferred to Nauru or returned to their departure point.

Sources: Australian Border Force

Australia’s policy of intercepting and returning people seeking asylum, who arrive by boats, effectively started in 2001 after the Tampa incident:

• Between 2001 and 2006, it was conducted under ‘Operation Relex I’ and ‘Operation Relex II’.

• Between 2007 and 2013, no boats were turned back under the Labor Government.

• 2013: Prime Minister Tony Abbott announces ‘Operation Sovereign Borders’ as a “military-led response to combat people smuggling and protect [Australian] borders”.

Source: Refugee Council of Australia. 

38 boats and 873 people (including 124 children)

Seeking asylum were returned under the Operation Sovereign Borders program between 2013 and 2021. The exact number is not available due to a 2013 government decision not to release ‘on-water’ operational information and gaps in operational updates.

Source: Refugee Council of Australia.

1,720

Asylum-seekers died on their way to Australia between 2000 and 2019, of whom 189 people died in Australian waters.

Source: Australian Border Deaths Database.

990

Approximate number of ‘irregular maritime arrivals’ voluntarily returned to their country of origin from Sept 2013 - 31 Dec 2024.

Source: Operation Sovereign Borders.

60

Approximate number of ‘irregular maritime arrivals’ involuntarily returned to their country of origin from Sept 2013 - 31 Dec 2024.

Source: Operation Sovereign Borders.

Statistics are updated regularly. Request an asylum statistic: info@asyluminsight.com.

GLOBAL STATISTICS

Updated Dec 2024.

37.9 million

Refugees worldwide registered with UNHCR (to 30 June 2024). Of whom, 65% originate from 4 countries (Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine and Afghanistan). Iran hosts the most refugees (3.8 million), followed by Turkiye (3.1 million), Colombia (2.7 million), Germany (2.7 million) and Uganda (1.7 million). An additional 8 million people are seeking asylum.

518,600

People returned to their country of origin or were resettled in the first 6 months of 2024.

4.4 million

People are stateless (at July 2023). The UNHCR estimates the real figure to be significantly higher.

69%

Of the world’s refugees are currently hosted in their neighbouring country.

Source: UNHCR.

Statistics are updated regularly. Request an asylum statistic: info@asyluminsight.com.