Anthony Albanese is dealt another immigration headache after it emerges 80,000 failed asylum seekers are still in Australia

More than 80,000 rejected asylum seekers remain in Australia despite having their claims for protection rejected, with the majority enjoying full work and study rights.

While refugees who arrive by boat are held in detention centers, those who arrive legally can remain there for years, even if their claims for protection are rejected.

Up to 61,525 of 80,000 asylum seekers have work rights on bridging visas, while 61,554 have study rights, new government data shows.

A large number of people applying for asylum are international students, with those with Indian and Chinese passports most likely to apply.

Up to 2,135 claims were filed by student visa holders in the first half of 2023.

The revelation marks the latest immigration nightmare for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

Between March and April this year, around 70 asylum seekers applied for a permanent protection visa every day.

Only seventeen failed asylum seekers have been removed from Australia in the past two months, either voluntarily or involuntarily.

The revelation marks the latest immigration nightmare for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

About 154 detainees were released by the High Court in November, with several facing criminal charges since being allowed to live in the Australian community.

Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan said the data had revealed ‘abuse of the asylum seeker process by non-genuine asylum seekers’.

He claimed Australia’s “generous humanitarian programme”, which has helped hundreds of Palestinians escape conflict with visas, was being undermined.

“Under Labour, only 15 percent of asylum seekers on land appear to have a real claim to protection,” Tehan said.

“The abuse of the asylum seeker process by non-genuine asylum seekers undermines Australia’s generous humanitarian program and diverts time and money from supporting genuine refugees.”

“There are now more than 80,000 rejected asylum seekers in Australia awaiting deportation, and around 80 percent still enjoy work and study rights, so they have no incentive to leave.”

Mr Tehan said Labor failed to weed out non-genuine claimants and brought in a record 1.67 million migrants in five years amid a housing crisis.

He warned: “The coalition will investigate why so many non-genuine asylum seekers remain in the country after exhausting all their legal rights.”

While refugees who arrive by boat are held in detention centers (pictured), those who arrive legally can remain there for years even if their claims for protection are rejected

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles (pictured) accused Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of ‘destroying Australia’s immigration and border security system’

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles accused Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of “destroying Australia’s immigration and border security system.”

‘Under the former Liberal government, more than 140,000 people came to Australia and applied for asylum. We are cleaning up this mess,” he said.

Mr Giles said Labor had invested $160 million to restore the integrity of Australia’s refugee protection system in a new reform package.

A nationwide spike in the number of people arriving in Australia over the past year recently prompted the federal government to announce a halving of net overseas migration by 2025.

A record 548,800 net migrants moved to Australia in the year to September and Treasurer Jim Chalmers has admitted the huge influx of migrants, plus international students, has created a severe housing shortage and pushed prices to unprecedented levels.

With elections within a year, the Treasury now expects immigration inflows to shrink to 395,000 by 2023/2024.

A large number of people applying for asylum are international students, with those with Indian and Chinese passports most likely to apply (photo, University of Sydney)

By the end of 2024/2025, foreign inflows are expected to halve to just 260,000 – down from 528,000 in 2022/2023.

But a net 1.38 million migrants are still expected to move to Australia in the five years to 2027/2028.

An Essential Research poll found that 43 percent of those from migrant and refugee backgrounds were likely to have experienced difficulty finding affordable housing in Australia in the past 12 months.

The research also found that more than a quarter (26 percent) had been forced to leave a home in the past year due to rising housing costs.

Migrants are not only victims of rising prices, but are also seen as the culprits: 49 percent feel unfairly responsible for the affordability crisis on the housing market.