Australia to detain tourists who overstay visas amid immigration crackdown

More than 77,000 visa overstayers look detention oregon departure arsenic Australia cracks down connected migration violations.

Australia volition statesman detaining visa overstayers arsenic portion of a broader migration crackdown, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced.

The Australian Border Force volition grow its squad by 100 compliance officers, who volition enactment to detain oregon promote the departure of astir 77,000 radical presently surviving successful Australia without a valid visa, Burke said Thursday.

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He said the argumentation was designed to reintroduce consequences for overstaying.

“Before 2015, we had a regular process successful Australia for overstayers where, erstwhile radical had overstayed a visa, we would bring radical into detention centres … and wrong a fewer weeks they would organise their ain formation and leave,” Burke announced astatine the National Press Club.

To assistance the operation, 250 caller detention beds volition beryllium created, including the imaginable usage of a erstwhile quarantine installation successful Melbourne.

He rejected comparisons to the United States’ hardline Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, saying, “This is not the benignant of cognition that immoderate radical person seen connected TV happening successful different countries.”

Burke besides said the government would clamp down connected “visa hopping”, a strategy that Canberra alleges is erstwhile foreigners who are already successful Australia determination from 1 benignant of impermanent visa to different to widen their stay.

A caller “No Further Stay” proviso would forestall radical arriving connected tourer visas from lodging caller applications erstwhile wrong the country, portion planetary students would beryllium required to beforehand their qualifications erstwhile seeking a caller survey visa, closing disconnected the enactment of jumping betwixt courses astatine low-level institutions to widen their stay.

Burke said abstracted authorities would beryllium needed to curb a important caseload of radical making what helium called “disingenuous” asylum claims to prolong their clip successful the country.

Rights groups pushed back, and the Human Rights Law Centre warned the alteration could deter exploited undocumented workers from reporting abuse.

Australia’s governing Labor Party has denied that its tightened visa rules are a effect to the increasing popularity of the far-right One Nation Party, which has emerged arsenic 1 of the country’s astir fashionable parties successful 2026.

Australia remains 1 of the world’s astir fashionable tourer destinations, drafting millions of yearly visitors with its beaches, wildlife and cities, portion besides relying heavy connected planetary students and working-holiday visa holders arsenic a large root of migration and economical activity.

The overstayer colonisation has grown steadily, from astir 64,000 successful 2016 to much than 77,000 successful 2026, adjacent arsenic nett overseas migration has fallen.