The biggest influx of illegal immigrants to Australia last year came not from Asia or the Middle East but from Britain and the US, according to a government report.
More than 10 000 British and American visitors outstayed their welcome by June 30 last year, about a fifth of all foreigners on expired visas.
The number of Iranians in the country unlawfully was fewer than 200, while Afghans did not rate a mention in the report on immigration trends.
At the last count the number of visitors whose visas had expired was nudging 51 000. Some 15 000 have chosen to call Australia home for more than a decade, the report found, although many visitors only stayed for a few days after their visa expired.
While Britons and Americans were the biggest offenders, they were seen as the lowest risk because the number was small as a percentage of all Britons and Americans entering each year.
A culture in Australia of employers paying cash to foreign backpackers who do not have permission to work was also encouraging many to overstay.
Europeans and North Americans usually get jobs behind a desk or a bar, while other nationalities are most likely to be found doing work such as fruit picking.