The Albanese government has granted permanent visas to more than 30,000 asylum seekers who arrived in Australia by boat, prompting warnings from the Coalition that the country’s border protection policies have been seriously undermined.
According to The Australian, the recipients are among those who sought asylum during the Rudd-Gillard governments and have since been issued Resolution of Status visas.
Many had spent years in Australia on Temporary Protection or Safe Haven Enterprise visas. The group includes more than 6,500 Iranian nationals and over 4,500 people from Afghanistan.
The Resolution of Status visa pathway was announced by former immigration minister Andrew Giles in early 2023. It was designed to resolve the immigration status of people who arrived during a period of heightened people-smuggling activity between 2009 and 2014.
The government originally indicated that approximately 19,000 visas would be issued. However, the reported total has now gone well beyond that projection, with an estimated 30 visas being approved on each business day.
More than half of the visas are understood to have been granted within the first 18 months of the program. About 17,000 recipients have already become Australian citizens or have reached the point where they are eligible to apply for citizenship.
The number of permanent visas issued to people in this group also rose by 22 per cent during the 2026 financial year.
Several immigration lawyers cited by The Australian supported the figures. One lawyer, who was not named, said permanent visas were often being approved before applicants had an opportunity to have their cases heard in court.
Reports say more than 30,000 asylum seekers who arrived by boat have now received permanent visas
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has been approached for comment
“The government very clearly decided to issue Resolution of Status visas to thousands of asylum seekers who had previously been told they would never be resettled in Australia,” the lawyer said.
Coalition immigration spokesman Jonno Duniam described the increase in Resolution of Status visa grants as a “very serious weakening” of Operation Sovereign Borders.
Senator Duniam said the figures reinforced the Coalition’s longstanding argument that the visa pathway could encourage more people to seek permanent settlement in Australia.
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“The Albanese government should not have abolished the Temporary Protection and Safe Haven Enterprise visas, and those measures must be restored urgently,” he said.
“Labor promised to retain the former Coalition government’s policy that people attempting an unauthorised boat journey to Australia would never be allowed to settle permanently here. That commitment is now in tatters.”
The Department of Home Affairs says people applying for permanent visas must satisfy a range of health, character and national security requirements.
Applicants must also sign the Australian Values Statement, agreeing to respect individual freedom and dignity, freedom of speech, the rule of law and the principle of a “fair go” based on mutual respect and tolerance.
Those whose first language is not English are also expected to make “reasonable efforts” to learn the language.
Permanent visa applicants must satisfy health, character and security requirements
Opposition immigration spokesman Jonno Duniam said the figures showed a “serious weakening” of Australia’s border security
A Home Affairs spokesperson said not all visa grants had been issued to people in the Temporary Protection visa or Safe Haven Enterprise visa cohort, and that some had been granted in response to recent humanitarian crises.
‘The Government remains committed to Operation Sovereign Borders. Australia’s border protection policies have not and will not change – anyone who attempts to travel to Australia irregularly by boat will not settle permanently here,’ the spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
‘Resolution of Status grant numbers are not limited to the former TPV and SHEV cohort, and include grants made in a range of circumstances, including as part of Australia’s response to recent humanitarian crises.
‘Each case is assessed on its merits, taking into account the individual circumstances of the case and the most current and relevant country of origin information.
‘People who do not engage protection obligations, who are not awaiting a merits or judicial review outcome, and who have exhausted all avenues to remain in Australia, are expected to depart Australia voluntarily and may be provided assistance to depart.’