Hundreds of foreign criminals get the boot from Australia

Hundreds of violent criminals have been deported from Australia in the past year as the number of visas being cancelled or rejected grows.

Nearly 1000 visas were cancelled and 785 applications rejected on bad character grounds in 2020-21. Picture: David Clark Photography

Hundreds of foreigners have been kicked out of Australia in the past year for crimes such as murder, ­involvement in child sex cases, drug offences and assaults, and domestic violence.

Almost 1000 visas were cancelled and 785 applications rejected on bad character grounds in 2020-21, according to Department of Home ­Affairs figures.

There were almost 200 cancellations for drug offences, 108 for assaults, 102 for child sex matters and 81 for murder.

Other crimes included rape, robbery, fraud and deception.

NSW had the most visa cancellations with 383, followed by Queensland (186), Victoria (156), Western Australia (148), South Australia (54), and Tasmania, Northern Territory and the ACT each with fewer than 10.

New Zealand citizens were the top group with 402 kicked out, followed by British citizens (101), Vietnamese (60), Chinese (37), Fijians (19), Sudanese and Iraqis (each 16), and Indians and Malaysians (each 15).

Since 2014, the number of visa cancellations on character grounds has risen substantially due to a mandatory cancellation provision introduced to the Migration Act.

The amendment allowed the immigration minister to ­require a state or territory agency to disclose personal ­information relevant to the character test, and gave lower thresholds for cancelling temporary visas. It also bolstered ministerial powers for general visa cancellation.

There were only 76 visa cancellations and 83 rejected applications in 2013-14, but this rose to 1278 and 631 respectively by 2016-17. Since then the number has hovered between 900 and 1000.

Visa holders and applicants may fail the character test for having substantial criminal records, escaping from immigration detention or being a member of or having links with an organisation the minister reasonably suspects of being involved in criminal conduct.

Last month, the Herald Sun revealed a crackdown by Australian Border Force on non-Australians breaching Covid rules. As of August 19, the ABF had cancelled 10 visas, leading to non-citizens being deported.

In 2020-21, there were also 13,000 student visa applications cancelled on character grounds, while 368 students were booted out.