A brazen woman from Ireland has publicly boasted about taking advantage of an Australian visa loophole, openly mocking the system while utilizing taxpayer resources, which has led to a serious warning from the immigration minister.

Dearbhla Kelly, a resident of Derry, Ireland, revealed that she, along with several acquaintances, used the asylum application process as a strategy to extend their stay in Australia after their working holiday visas expired.

Ms. Kelly derided the immigration process, noting that despite not fulfilling the stringent criteria, the long wait times for processing allow her to remain in the country for many years.

‘You’re unlikely to get the visa. I used it as a means to buy time while I searched for another visa to apply under,’ she boasted in a TikTok video.

‘Processing times stretched to about 34 months, or nearly three years, giving me ample time to decide on another visa application. So that worked out well.’

Australia permits genuine refugees to apply for asylum through the Protection Visa if they cannot safely return to their home country, with the application fee being just $50.

While submissions are being processed, applicants are placed on a bridging visa, allowing them to live and work in Australia until a final decision has been made. 

In her video, Ms Kelly explained that after seven years in Australia on various visas, she needed a new one but was unhappy with the legitimate options.

‘Student visas are so expensive, and you only have a limited amount of hours you can work, or a company won’t take you,’ she said.

‘So I was like, nah, not going on that. It’s a no go.

‘The other one was finding an Australian man and marrying him, basically paying him money to put you on a partner visa. I was like, I’m not doing that either. 

‘So one of the other options was to seek asylum.’

She admitted that many in her situation simply pose as refugees on their applications and live and work across the country for years while their cases are processed.

Kelly even claimed she used a personal incident from her past to justify her application.

‘So when I was applying for the visa, and the true story that I told them of what happened to me years ago, I was in a sectarian attack,’ she said

‘Somebody from another religion threatened me.’ 

Weeks after submitting her application, she was called in for questioning. 

‘I get an email saying I need to come in for an interview at the immigration office,’ Ms Kelly said.

‘It was on a Friday and I was going to Melbourne that evening.

‘So I went in, gave my fingerprints and a photo, just so they could see I’m not like a terrorist or anything in my country.

‘The guy was like, oh, I don’t really see Irish people in here. And I was like, yeah, I’m seeking asylum from Ireland,’ she continued laughing. 

Unfortunately for Ms Kelly, she received a refusal notice on October 5, 2024. 

But she admitted she was still shocked because she knew so many others who had been living on the bridging visa for years. 

‘I had said to somebody about this stage, and they’re like, no, it’s going to take months and months and months for them to get back to you. 

‘Like, you have loads of time. I said, perfect, happy days.

‘So it was a Friday night, Jazzy was playing in Sydney. And I was like, of course I’m going to see Jazzy. 

‘Like, she is the disco dancing queen. Like, whatever I had an unbelievable night at Jazzy. 

‘Woke up on a Saturday morning, to this refusal notification, and I was all, what? What? So I clicked on it.

‘I literally woke up, and I showed my friends and I was like, jeez. They couldn’t believe it, there were four of them in the room.

‘I was so hungover I couldn’t speak to anybody for about two days.’

The letter stated that because she did not meet the criteria she had 28 days to leave the country. 

Now living back in Ireland Ms Kelly still finds the situation amusing.  

‘It’s just so funny. I tell everyone, why did I leave Australia? I got deported.’

Her brazen confession sparked furious debate in the comments section, with some boasting they had also taken advantage of the same loophole.

‘I did the refugee visa as well, bought myself another three years. I got refused, appealed, and stayed another 10 months before I decided to leave,’ one wrote.

‘You should have appealed it, would have got yourself another year,’ suggested another.

But not everyone was amused. ‘I’m glad they deported you,’ wrote one angry commenter.

‘The system is so broken, you should never have had the option of a refugee visa,’ agreed another.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, Immigration Minister Tony Burke said: ‘It used to be that the Irish had to break the law to get to Australia, but those days are long gone. 

‘We don’t have any patience for frivolous claims, they might delay the date of departure but they won’t prevent it.’ 

Daily Mail has contacted The Department of Home Affairs and Ms Kelly for further comment. 

A breakdown of Home Affairs data seen by the Daily Mail shows that, in July 2025, India was the top country of origin for residents seeking a protection visa in Australia, at 365 individuals. 

That was followed by China (233), Indonesia (144), Fiji (100), Pakistan (95), the Philippines (89), Malayasia (67) and Nepal (57). 34 people each applied from war-torn Ukraine, Papua New Guinea, Kenya and Colombia.