Australia recognised 10,300 refugees in 2018, most of them given temporary protection visas. In global terms, Australia was ranked 29th for recognition of refugees in 2018 – 30th per capita and 60th relative to GDP.
On this measure, as you can see, already Australia ranks highly. But while most refugees who are resettled in Australia come through the UN, this isn't the only way it happens. When it comes to the total number of refugees recognised and resettled by a country, Australia ranks 25th (and 32nd on a per capita basis).
Refugee resettlement
Australia's resettlement of 12,706 refugees during the 2018 calendar year saw the country ranked third overall for resettlement (behind Canada and USA) – second per capita and relative to national GDP (behind Canada).
Türkiye hosts the largest number of refugees, with 3.6 million people, followed by the Islamic Republic of Iran with 3.4 million people. Colombia is third with 2.5 million, including other people in need of international protection.
Seeking asylum in Australia, or elsewhere, is not illegal. In fact, it is a basic human right. All people are entitled to protection of their human rights, including the right to seek asylum, regardless of how or where they arrive in Australia, or in any other country.
However, Australia's treatment of refugees who come to Australia seeking protection is now leading the world in the opposite direction - to the most punitive policies aimed to deter vulnerable people from seeking safety.
Asked whether they felt welcome in Australia, 75 per cent said they did and 10 per cent said they did most of the time. Only 8 per cent said they felt unwelcome. Those from the Middle East were most likely to feel welcome.
of all refugees and other people in need of international protection come from three countries: Syria, Ukraine, and Afghanistan.
So why does Australia have tough asylum policies? Australia's two leading political parties, the ruling Liberal-National coalition and the Labor opposition, both support tough asylum policies. They say the journey the asylum seekers make is dangerous and controlled by criminal gangs, and they have a duty to stop it.
Australia reported that during the 2019-20 financial year, 23,266 claims were made within Australia, and 70,621 from outside of Australia. In the 2020-21 financial year, 39,461 claims were lodged from outside of Australia. Does Australia have more refugees than other countries? No.
The temperate climate is a huge contributing factor that attracts many people from other developed countries, such as England, to migrate to Australia. Because Australia is located in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are inverted as well so you can experience a unique summery Christmas.
One of Australia's best-loved comedians, Anh Do, depicts his incredible, uplifting and inspiring life story. In his memoir he tells of his family's treacherous journey from war-torn Vietnam, surviving starvation and pirates in an overcrowded boat.
Some well-known people in Australia who have come from a refugee background are: Anh Do (Comedian/ Author) Les Murray (Sport - football) Frank Lowy (Property owner)
There are a “record” 100,000 people who have sought asylum onshore who remain in Australia including 72,875 whose claims were refused who are yet to be deported.
With the exception of Bulgaria, all the other Eastern European EU countries had received less than 0.04 per cent. However, these countries received a large number of Ukrainian refugees in 2022. In Western Europe, it is Portugal that has received the fewest refugees, at 0.61 per cent.
As a result, in 2016-17, Australia granted its highest ever number of refugee visas to more than 24,000 people. In 2017-18 the cap increased to 16,250 and in 2018-19 the cap increased to 18,750. In 2020-21, the cap dropped to 13,750, but just 5947 refugee visas were granted.
Among them are some of the largest migrant receiving countries in the world: the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Australia (each hosting more than 7 million immigrants in 2017).
The United States is home to the highest number of immigrants in the world. An estimated 50.6 million people in the United States—a bit more than 15% of the total population of 331.4 million—were born in a foreign country.
Australian immigration detention facilities comprise a number of different facilities throughout Australia, including the Australian territory of Christmas Island. Such facilities also exist in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, namely the Nauru Regional Processing Centre and the Manus Regional Processing Centre.
19,148 asylum applications by refugees were received in 2022 in Australia — according to UNHCR. Most of them came from Iran, India and from Afghanistan. A total of 16,009 decisions have been made on initial applications. Around 20% of them were answered positively.