Has your visa expired, been cancelled or refused and you are still in Australia?
If so, you are an unlawful non-citizen. You are in Australia illegally.
What will happen to you?
If you do not manage your situation carefully, you could be deported from Australia.
Long-term over stayers become neighbours, friends, colleagues, employees and even relatives of lawful Australian residents, some of whom might not be aware of their unlawful status. Ii is quite common for people to find out about their friends/neighbours etc being illegal and “dob in” them to Immigration. When this happens, it is quite common for Immigration to come to the home or work with the Police and take the overstayer into detention.
How can I get caught?
The department uses a wide range of sources to find illegal migrants and people breaching their visa conditions, employers, educational institutions, departmental investigations, community information, police, or other government agencies.
People who overstay their visa by more than 28 days may have an exclusion period preventing them from being granted a temporary visa to travel to Australia for three years.
What can you do about this if you have no visa?
If your situation is handled carefully it may be possible to avoid the long exclusion period and it may even be possible to get another visa for Australia. We recommend you call us urgently for advice on your own personal circumstances. If you do nothing you could be deported!