ALP approved 210,000 Covid visas after epidemic ended

More than 200,000 foreigners were granted pandemic-event visas by the Albanese government well after the crisis ended.

Coalition immigration and citizenship spokesman Dan Tehan at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

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Almost 210,000 foreigners were granted pandemic event visas by the Albanese government well after the crisis ended, raising further questions about Labor’s ability to manage migration targets.

New figures show that about 90,000 of those who received the visa since Labor was elected and had reached the end of their permit timeframe remained in the country, either on a new visa class or while awaiting the outcome of a new visa application. Only 17,000 of this cohort – or about 20 per cent – left the ­country since their pandemic visa expired.

There were 207,568 pandemic event visas handed out under Labor from June 2022 to March 2024 and 130,948 expired in the same period.

The figures provided by the Department of Home Affairs to the Senate show that there was still strong demand for the visa category until mid to late-2023 despite the official end of the pandemic and pressure to contain migration numbers.

Coalition immigration and citizenship spokesman Dan Tehan said the numbers were further evidence that Australia was too loose and more needed to be done to monitor and deal with the overall system.

“Different minister but same old outcome as Labor will once again overshoot their migration target because they’re asleep at the wheel,’’ Mr Tehan said. “They are too slow to act when the system is being abused ­because they have no plan for Australia.

“Labor blames Australia’s ­record migration on not enough people leaving the country while simultaneously issuing more than 200,000 Covid work visas when there was no pandemic.

“Not only has Labor overseen an explosion in onshore asylum claims, they have provided $12m for free legal advice to help asylum-seekers lodge their claims.”

The Covid-19 pandemic-event visa closed to all applications on February 1 this year but the impact of the policy is set to have a long tail. Data shows nearly 110,000 of the pandemic visas were due to expire between April this year and May 2026, although most were expected to reach their end point this year.

Under the pandemic visa conditions, people could remain temporarily in Australia if they were working or had a job offer to work in any sector of the Australian economy. They also could add members of their family to their application after it was lodged.

The Department of Home Affairs has warned visa recipients that the system has been wound down.

“If you are holding a visa other than a Covid-19 pandemic-event visa on or after 2 September, 2023, you should explore other visa options to remain in Australia, or make arrangements to depart Australia,’’ it said.

“You will no longer be eligible for a Covid-19 pandemic-event visa if you apply on or after this date. If you apply on or after 2 September, 2023, you will only be eligible for this visa if you hold or have held a Covid-19 pandemic-event visa within the last 28 days at time of application and meet other visa requirements.’’

The questions on notice related to the status of expired visa holders where it was granted and expired between May 2022 and March 2024.

It showed more than 90,000 people in this category were still in Australia out of a total of 108,000. About 47,000 had been granted a new protection, student or other visa, while another 43,000 were on bridging visas while awaiting the outcome of an application for one of these visa categories.

Only 17,078 were listed as being outside Australia.

Former Department of Immigration secretary Abul Rizvi said Australia was poised to miss its net migration forecast for 2023-24 by about 70,000.

“We will know that in December. It’s pretty obvious now,’’ he said.

He said the current financial year forecasts were on track to slip by 100,000.


Jim Chalmers conceded in September that Treasury’s migration planning levels would be missed after the NOM intake reached 388,000 in the first nine months of the 2023-24 financial year.

The Australian reported that lower-than-anticipated departures rather than higher-than-expected arrivals was responsible for the overshoot.

Migration numbers are likely to be a key issue at the May election as Labor and the Coalition battle over cost-of-living pressures, which are being fuelled in part by greater demand for housing.