REFUGEES & PEOPLE SEEKING ASYLUM IN THE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY

Updated Aug 2025 with latest data available.

Bridging Visa E (BVE)

at 31 March 2025

7,417

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 800 are children (372 in Victoria, 202 in NSW).

1,565

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 May 2025

32,198

People seeking asylum in Australia from the ‘UMA Legacy Caseload'. Of whom 1,887 are awaiting a decision on a protection application.

21,109

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

6,373

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

3,593

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

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

Permanent Protection Visas (onshore)

At 30 June 2025

4,045

people in Australia were granted permanent protection visas in the financial year 24-25. In the previous financial year a total of 3,250 people were granted permanent protection visas onshore.

23,576

People in Australia applied for permanent protection in the financial year 24-25. A total of 27,229 onshore protection applications were made in the previous financial year. The top nationalities of applicants in the current financial year are Chinese (2,494), Indian (2,593), Vietnamese (1,352), Filipino (1,247) and Indonesian (1,320).

24,924

People in Australia were refused permanent protection in the financial year 24-25. The total number refused in the previous year was 18,507.

Source: Department of Home Affairs.

27,211

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

98,310

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 Review Tribunal

11,489

New protection appeals lodged at ART from 14 Oct 24 to 31 May 2025. In this period, 10,005 cases were finalised and 42,915 protection appeals 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.

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 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.