Visitors who have been convicted of violence against women and children will be kicked out or barred from entering Australia, Immigration Minister David Coleman said Sunday, as Canberra steps up its crackdown on foreign criminals.
The new laws, which came into force Thursday, build on existing legislation requiring visitor visas to be cancelled if the holder has been sentenced to 12 months or more in jail.
Under the former legislation, you will not be eligible for an visitor visa if:
– You have a conviction that resulted in a prison sentence of 12 months or more (regardless of the time served)
– You have been convicted for two or more offences and the combined length of all your sentences amounts to 12 months or more (regardless of the time served)
– You have a suspended prison sentence where the period you would have served, had it not been suspended, was 12 months or more.
"Australia has no tolerance for domestic violence perpetrators," Coleman said in a statement, adding that no minimum sentence threshold was required.
"If you've been convicted of a violent crime against women or children, you are not welcome in this country."
Canberra has in the past denied visas to American R&B singer Chris Brown and boxing star Floyd Mayweather following their domestic violence convictions.
New Zealand has previously expressed frustration with Canberra's law on deporting convicts, which has seen Kiwi-born criminals sent back home after serving their jail terms even though some have spent most of their lives in Australia.
(With inputs from agencies)
