The federal government is examining options for asylum seekers stuck in detention centres while their refugee claims are completed.
One option includes a new visa category for asylum seekers identified and judged to be genuine refugees but still waiting on a security clearance.
Fairfax newspapers say they've been told the Department of Immigration is working on the options that would transfer thousands of single men in detention facilities to a form of community detention with strict reporting requirements.
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The government already applies this policy to families and children.
Hundreds of recognised refugees are being held in detention for periods of eight months or more for ASIO checks, a factor identified behind the recent rioting at facilities in Darwin and Christmas Island.
In such cases refugees could be issued with either a form of temporary protection visa or a new category of visa.
While the policy option is regarded as a logical step, the government regards it a hard sell politically at present.
ASIO is committed to speeding up processing but this is yet to have an impact.
Government sources say recent history shows that in "99 per cent of these cases" ASIO checks are positive and seldom if ever contradict what the Immigration Department has already established through its intelligence.
