PEOPLE IN ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE DETENTION

Updated Nov 2025.

Onshore

1005

People held in onshore immigration detention as at 31 Oct 2025. Of whom, 156 arrived by air or boat without a valid visa.

94

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

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

8

People in detention who are stateless (approx figure). Their average duration of detention was 1172 days and 2 are on a removal pathway (note these figures have not been updated since Dec 2024.

Source: Refugee Council of Australia

181

New Zealanders in onshore immigration detention. Followed by Iranians (78) and British (61).

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

0

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

23

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

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

466

Average days spent in immigration detention.

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

176

People have been detained for more than 2 years onshore (18% of total detention population).

Of them, 69 people have been detained for more than 5 years.

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

Offshore

100

People are believed to be in Nauru, as at 31 August 2025.

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

The approximate number of 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. 

1046

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 Nov 2025 with latest data available.

Bridging Visa E (BVE)

at 30 June 2025

6,999

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 650 are children (less than 300 in Victoria, 176 in NSW).

1,522

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 Oct 2025

32,545

People seeking asylum in Australia from the ‘UMA Legacy Caseload'. Of whom 2,638 are awaiting a decision on a protection application.

22,247

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

5,171

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

3,745

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

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

Permanent Protection Visas (onshore)

At 31 Oct 2025

1,801

people in Australia were granted permanent protection visas from 01 July to 31 Oct 2025. In the 24-25 financial year a total of 4,045 people were granted permanent protection visas onshore.

8,023

People in Australia applied for permanent protection from 01 July to 31 Oct 2025. A total of 23,576 onshore protection applications were made in the 24-25 financial year. The top nationalities of applicants in the current financial year are from India (1,207), China (942), Indonesia (603), Phillippines (366) and Pakistan (364).

7,199

People in Australia were refused permanent protection from 01 July to 31 Oct 2025. The total number refused in the 24-25 year was 24,924.

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

26,298

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

101,976

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

Source: Department of Home Affairs

16,750

Offshore humanitarian visas were issued in the 23-24 financial year. A total of 84,913 applications were lodged, around 64% from people under the age of 30. No data has been published for the 24-25 year.

Source: Department of Home Affairs

Vulnerable Women and Children

2,159

People were granted visas under the vulnerable women and children program in 2023-24.

*No data has been published for the 24-25 year.

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

Community Support Program

1,513

People were granted visas under the Community Support Program in 23-24, whereby organisations or individuals sponsor the refugee. 55% were people who originate from Afghanistan.

Administrative Review Tribunal

5,653

New protection appeals lodged at ART from 1July to 31 Oct 2025. In that time 7,975 were finalised and 40,427 were on hand. For the 24-25 year, 13,291 protection appeals were lodged, 11,972 were finalised and 42,759 were on hand.

Source: Administrative Review Tribunal.

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. It was disbanded in 2024.

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.

Source: Administrative Review Tribunal

180

The average number of weeks the ART currently taking to finalise a protection appeal. 9% of protection appeals are currently resulting in the original decision being overturned.

Source: Administrative Review Tribunal

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

BOAT TURNBACKS BY AUSTRALIA

Between 1 May 2022 - 31 Aug 2025, 36 boats carrying a total of around 583 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.