Australia cancelled 57,440 visas last financial year - over 900 of those on character grounds, a Department of Home Affairs’ report has revealed.
Those who were stripped of their visas on character grounds included outlaw motorcycle gang members, drug traffickers and sex offenders who were deemed an ongoing risk.
The number of visas cancelled in 2017-18 was slightly higher than the previous year’s 57,161.
The Department said its ALOs (Airline Liaison Officers) stationed at various airports overseas prevented 205 imposters from entering Australia and got over 500 travellers kicked off fights to Australia due to their intentions of posing a risk, and ver 4,500 people were refused immigration clearance after they landed in Australia.
The Department said its officers also located 14,750 illegal non-citizens in Australia.
In its first report since the creation of a mega department bringing the border security, intelligence and the Australian Federal Police under one department, besides the immigration, it has come to light that the visa refusals shot up significantly compared to the previous year.
A total of 308,150 non-humanitarian visa applications were refused during the last financial year, compared to 238,335 in 2016-17 and 211,426 in 2015-16.
The Department said the increase in visa refusals was due to a “more rigorous focus on visa integrity”.
Australia’s immigration intake fell to a ten-year low last year to below 163,000. The Department said it maintained a strong focus on integrity to “ensure quality over quantity and did not lower standards in order to reach the ceiling”. Australia’s annual permanent immigration intake has been 190,000 since 2011.
The report mentions that all of the visa holders who served jail sentences due to offences committed in Australia and were liable for mandatory visa cancellation, had their visas cancelled.
The Department says it continues to develop its “visa intelligence” and security capability to manage visa applications, including latest technology and analytical tools.
