As people smugglers continue to make headlines, and the raging asylum seeker debate continues, new figures for the number of people made to leave Australia due to their visas being cancelled on character grounds has more than doubled in the last financial year.

According to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), 132 visas were cancelled and another 104 were refused, in 2010-11, where as in 2000-10 only 58 visas were cancelled and 156 refused.

The rise in visa cancellations was recently reported in The Telegraph with a spokeman for Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship reiterating Australia's strict stance on the requirement of non-citizens to satisfy the requirements of the Migration Act and Regulations, including the character test;

The jump comes as Immigration Minister Chris Bowen is investigating whether to boot an alleged people smuggler out of Australia on character grounds.

A spokesman for Mr Bowen said visas, including protection visas, permanent visas, temporary skilled migration visas, tourist visas and student visas, were cancelled for a variety of reasons. "The government takes very seriously our role in protecting the Australian community from unacceptable risk of harm from criminal or other serious conduct by non-citizens," the spokesman told The Daily Telegraph.

There were 4.3 million temporary and permanent visas granted in Australia last year. 

To read more at The Telegraph, click here.

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