Asylum seekers: Where Australia stands

1 May 2012, 12:00 am   -   Source: SBS staff
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The federal government is preparing to introduce legislation excising all of Australia's mainland from its migration zone. (AAP)

The federal government is preparing to introduce legislation excising all of Australia's mainland from its migration zone. (AAP)

The number of asylum-seeker boats coming to Australia has increased over the past year, and so has debate about the issue. Here is a series of facts and figures about this controversial topic.

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The number of asylum-seeker boats coming to Australia has increased over the past year, and so has debate about the issue.

Here is a series of facts and figures about this controversial topic.

Many statistics are only released mid year in the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's Annual Report. The most recent is for 2011/12.

As of January 31, 2013, about 28 per cent (2178) of the 7875 people in immigration detention were residing in community-based accommodation, and increase from the approximately 20 per cent at June 30 of last year.

By April 4, 2013, these numbers had fallen to 4,737 people in detention (including 2,399 minors).

4,319 of the people in detention were irregular maritime arrivals, and of those, 2,778 resided in community accommodation.

Community detention is available for unaccompanied children and for families deemed by the Department of Immigration 'vulnerable' while their asylum claims are assessed.

Asylum seekers in community detention reside in the community without the need to be escorted, but must report regularly to the Department of Immigration. They do not have the same rights as other Australians, such as the right to study and to work.

WHO IS POPULATING AUSTRALIA'S DETENTION CENTRES?

In 2013, as of April 10, there were 75 irregular maritime arrivals (boats) carrying 5031 passengers.

The number of irregular maritime arrivals in December 2012 and January 2013 were down compared to the preceding 11 months, however they still made up the vast majority of people held in detention.

As at January 30, 2013, the number of people in immigration detention who arrived by air or boat -- at any time -- was 7569 and made up about 96 per cent of the immigration detention population.

Visa overstayers or condition breachers were the next largest group at 305.

(Immigration Detention Statistics Summary - January 31, 2013. Department of Immigration and Citizenship)

At the end of January, 2013 the 7875 people were held in one of three types of immigration detention:

- 4562 people in a mainland immigration detention -- including detention centres, residential housing, transit accommodation or alternative places of detention -- (3549 men, 367 women, 646 children)

 - 1135 people in detention or alternative place of detention on Christmas Island and Cocos Keeling Island (555 men, 226 women, and 354 children),

- 2178 people in a residence determination to live in the community (781 men, 474 women, and 923 children),

During 2011-12, while 12,967 people were TAKEN into immigration detention, 19,370 people were HELD in immigration detention during 2011-12. 

Out of the 19,370 detained people, 14,438 (or 74.5 per cent) were asylum seekers who arrived in Australia by boat, unlawfully, at an excised offshore place. 

During the same year, 4,932 people were held in immigration detention for arriving in Australia by plane without authorisation, or breaching visa conditions -- such as overstaying their visas or having their visa cancelled.

WHO HAS BEEN GRANTED A VISA IN 2011-12?

As at April 4, 2013, 1186 protection visas had been granted. The onshore/offshore breakdown is not released until the end of the 2012/13 year.

Now let's take a look at how many asylum seekers were granted a visa over the past financial year, and why.

Under Australia’s Humanitarian Program, there are 13,750 refugee and protection visas granted every year.

In 2011-12, 13,759 visas were granted under Australia's Humanitarian Program. (6,718 under the offshore component, and 7,041 under the onshore component).

The offshore component offers resettlement to people overseas who have been determined to be refugees or in humanitarian need by UNHCR, while the onshore component offers protection for people already in Australia who are found to be refugees.

Under the offshore component, 821 visas were granted to Woman at Risk applicants in 2011-12.

In 2011-12 14,415 people applied for a visa under the onshore program. Half of them (7,041) was granted asylum.

Almost half of the 14,415 people who applied for a visa under the onshore component had arrived in Australia by plane (7,036), while 7,379 had arrived by boat.

Under the onshore component, most visas went to people who arrived by boat (4,766), an increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, 2,272 visas were granted to people who arrived by plane. 

COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN OF AUSTRALIA'S REFUGEES

At January 31, 2013, 47 per cent of detainees were Sri Lankan nationals, 13 per cent from Iran and 11 per cent from Afghanistan.

Of those in community detention, the largest group were Iranian nationals (34 per cent), followed by Sri Lankans (18 per cent) and Afghan nationals (15 per cent).

Note however, that these figures are for people in immigration detention, not for visas granted.

COMPARISONS WITH OTHER TYPES OF MIGRATION INTAKE

To put these numbers into perspective within the broader Australian migration intake, it is worthwhile to note that in 2011-2012 some 71,819 people got a visa under the points tested skilled-migration program, with the biggest group coming from India and the UK.

Meanwhile, 68,310 visas were granted under the Temporary Business (Longstay) subclass 457 visas, with the biggest group coming from the UK.

For the year 2012-13 up to the end of February, the number of 457 visa applications lodged was 8.3 per cent higher than the same period last year. 4.8 per cent more visas were granted.

The biggest group of visas granted went to citizens of India (20.9 per cent) followed by the United Kingdom (20 per cent).

The number of 457 visa holders becoming permanent residents or provisional visa holders was down 13 per cent at 22,280 granted in the 2012-2013 year up to February 28.

The number of primary visa holders in Australia as at February 28, 2013, was 107,510.

(Immigration Detention Statistics Summary - January 31, 2013. Department of Immigration and Citizenship)


 

Asylum Seekers , Immigration

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what about our culture

someone - from riverland, 5 days ago

do you think asylum seekers are destroying Australian culture or making it better

Ignorance

Ozgooner - from Newcastle NSW, 6 days ago

Just returned from Europe trip. Other countries don't 'send them back'. Countries like France and Italy are dealing with refugees/asylum seekers in the hundreds of thousands. They are, controversially, not doing much to help them but they generally don't lock em up or send em back. Just about everywhere else gets more than we do people so lets ditch the jingoism and think about a really complicated problem before we imagine the end of Australia as we know it. Havn't got enough to fill MCG yet.

About 90% of boat arrivals are young males.

Wondering - from Melbourne, 13 days ago

If their families were in real danger,how would they leave most vulnerable ones - kids,women, elderly - unprotected and embark on journey which will keep them away for years? Either these people don't care about fate of their families, or don't think there is a real threat for them. In either case it doesn't match image of boat arrivals which advocate groups trying to paint. Check videos of real refugee camps on youtube, looks nothing like population of Australian detention centres.

Educate yourselves before you make a judgement.

Sarah - from Artarmon, 14 days ago

I'm a social worker in offshore detention&know the stories.These people have taken a boat because they fear for their lives&there is no other option for them.1)don't have access to UN refugee registration services.2)airports can be dangerous places for them due to security-if they are deported from indo/malaysia they could be imprisoned/tortured on return to their home country3)aust gov won't grant visas to fly for Iraqi,Afghan etc.nationals.if your family was unsafe,you'd likely get a boat too.

There is no argument

The Kid - from AWESOMETOWN, 18 days ago

send em back. dont let em in. THERE IS ARGUMENT.

Send them back.

Someone - from Queensland, 18 days ago

We should send them back. They have no right to just come in and use up all our resources. If they turned up to nearly any other country they would send them back so why cant we do that aswell?

refugees should not be sent back!!!!

someone - from Brisbane, QLD, 19 days ago

Hippies and bogans should just go into the boats and put out the refugees. Then send the hippies and bogans to the countries that the refugees came from easy solution and Australia will be a happy place. :D

peace

lilly - from cool town, 19 days ago

why cant uses all chill out

I have nothing against increasing instake from refugee camps

Wondering - from Melbourne, 19 days ago

But when someone can obtain international travel documents from their govt, which allegedly prosecutes them,pay tens of thousands for flights,visas,smuggler fees, fly to Indonesia,like all Iranians and Afghans do, just to be picked up by Royal Australian Taxi from few miles off shore and get careless life on centrelink and social housing,it doesn't really match profile presented by SBS on Go Back Where You Came.. I can't help but wish I had Iranian passport and few dozen K's of $$ to spare..

illegal immigrants or late comers?

A almost adult teenager - from Perth, 20 days ago

I hate it when people say they are "true Australians" when their not native Australian. If you're not native Australian (aboriginal) then you have no right to say that immigrants are not true Australians because the fact is you or your ancestors probably came here on a boat from a white populated country before the government had immigrant policies, or even before there was a government, and the Europeans that did come on a boat came to escape the harsh realities of the war or overcrowded England

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