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.