Australia needs a compassionate and practical plan for 77,700 visa overstayers
Sustainable Population Australia is calling on the Federal Government to substantially expand and promote assisted voluntary return for people living in Australia after their visas have expired.
The Department of Home Affairs estimated that 77,700 unlawful non-citizens were living in Australia as of 30 June 2025, excluding people already in held or community detention.
Yet only 467 people departed through the government’s Return and Reintegration Assistance Program during 2024–25.
SPA says the disparity raises serious questions about whether Australia is doing enough to help people resolve their immigration status before they become homeless, vulnerable to exploitation or entrenched in an unlawful existence.
SPA National President, Peter Strachan, said the consequences of visa overstaying should not be ignored merely because resolving the problem is difficult.
“People whose visas have expired cannot be permitted to remain in Australia indefinitely, but neither should they be abandoned to homelessness, exploitation and fear,” Mr Strachan said.
“A compassionate immigration system must have firm and credible boundaries. It should also provide a realistic and dignified way for people to comply with those boundaries.”
The Australian Government already operates the Return and Reintegration Assistance Program, which can provide eligible non-citizens with assistance including airfares, travel documents, temporary accommodation, modest travel allowances, reception assistance and support to rebuild their lives after returning home.
SPA is calling for the program to be substantially expanded, more actively promoted and made easier to access.
A humane voluntary-return offer
SPA proposes that people who have overstayed their visas and do not have a valid claim to remain should be offered a clearly defined opportunity to come forward voluntarily.
Subject to identity, security and eligibility checks, assistance could include:
– confidential immigration-status advice;
– help obtaining passports and travel documents;
– a one-way airfare home;
– short-term accommodation before departure where necessary;
– a modest, capped reintegration payment; and
– referral to appropriate services in the country of return.
People with genuine protection claims, trafficking concerns or an immediate risk of violence would still need proper individual assessment. Serious criminal conduct would not be excused.
The objective would be to encourage orderly voluntary departure before people become homeless, enter exploitative employment or require detention and enforced removal.
The personal cost of overstaying
SPA spokesperson Michael Bayliss said many overstayers may feel trapped by debt, family expectations, shame or fear about returning home.
“Some migrants have borrowed heavily or placed their families under enormous financial strain to come to Australia,” Mr Bayliss said.
“When their plans collapse, returning home may feel like a public admission of failure. That emotional reality does not create a right to remain permanently, but it should influence how Australia helps people leave.”
“A small amount of practical assistance may allow someone to return voluntarily, preserve their dignity and begin rebuilding their life, rather than spending years living outside the lawful migration system.”
The economic cost
Failing to address overstaying also transfers costs to charities, homelessness services, hospitals, emergency accommodation providers and taxpayers.
People without lawful status may be unable to work legally or obtain stable housing, making them especially vulnerable to wage theft, unsafe accommodation and other exploitation.
Where overstayers are eventually located and detained, the public may also bear the considerably greater cost of compliance action, immigration detention and involuntary removal.
SPA is asking the government to publish a transparent comparison of:
– the average cost of assisted voluntary return;
– the average cost of locating and removing an overstayer;
– the cost of immigration detention;
– the number of people assisted to depart voluntarily;
– the number of long-term overstayers; and
– the social-service costs associated with destitute unlawful non-citizens.
“The government should determine whether a modest investment in voluntary return can prevent much larger enforcement and welfare costs later,” Mr Bayliss said.
The ethical cost of doing nothing
SPA says it is neither compassionate nor responsible to allow tens of thousands of people to remain indefinitely in legal and social limbo.
“Turning a blind eye is not compassion,” Mr Strachan said.
“It leaves vulnerable people open to exploitation, weakens confidence in the visa system and places community organisations in the position of managing a problem that government has failed to resolve.”
“Nor is it fair to the millions of migrants who respect their visa conditions and leave Australia when their lawful stay comes to an end.”
“A sensible policy would combine clear immigration boundaries with a humane, affordable and dignified pathway home.”
Final thoughts:
It is easier to have a compassionate immigration system when the intake is lower and manageable. At the current pace of high immigration, too many people fall through the cracks and do not receive the support they need. This is because the immigration program is operation at a scale that is too large to properly manage.
Questions for political leaders
SPA is asking the Government, Opposition and crossbench to respond to the following questions:
- Do you support substantially expanding assisted voluntary return for visa overstayers who cannot afford to leave Australia?
- Why did only 467 people depart through the Return and Reintegration Assistance Program in 2024–25 when Australia had an estimated 77,700 unlawful non-citizens?
- Is the government satisfied that overstayers are sufficiently informed about the assistance already available?
- Would you support a time-limited campaign encouraging eligible overstayers to come forward voluntarily for status resolution and assisted departure?
- Will you publish comparative figures showing the cost of voluntary return, compliance action, detention and forced removal?
- What safeguards should apply to people with genuine protection claims or who face trafficking, domestic violence or serious danger?
SPA will invite political leaders to provide responses for inclusion in the final media release.