A number of African athletes who went missing from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games have turned up in Sydney.

Randwick's Refugee Advice confirmed some of the 19 athletes who vanished in the closing week of the Games have sought advice on how to stay in Australia, theDaily Telegraph reported.

The competitors - who are believed to be from Cameroon, Uganda, Rwanda, Sierra, Ghana and Leone, will face deportation or detention from midnight Tuesday.

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Athletes from Cameroon are pictured during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games

Cameroon's Chef de Mission has given up hope of finding eight athletes (pictured is one, Oliver Heracles Matam Matam) who vanished during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games

Weightlifter Arcangeline Sonkbou Fouodji is one of the athletes from Cameroon who remain missing

Solicitor Ben Lumsdaine from RACS refused to reveal details on individual cases however stated there was little chance that in the month since the closing ceremony there would be enough time for their critical protection visas to be assessed by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

'That's unlikely, it can take quite a long time, it depends how quickly the department respond to each claim,' Mr Lumsdaine said.

'The process can take many months, sometimes it takes years. We just hope there's a fair legal process. We don't have any vested interest in the outcomes.'

It would be possible for the athletes to apply for bridging visas while their applications were being looked at, however undertaking of that process would have needed to been lodged by now, according to Ray Turner of Turner Coulson Immigration Lawyers.

Pictured: The eight athletes from Cameroon who fled the athletes' village on the Gold Coast

'If they're representing their country one might assume they're among the elite in their country,' he said, adding 'every individual has an individual case'.

Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton's office did not specify if it was known how many athletes had remained in Australia or if any were at a disclosed location.

Before the Games opened, Mr Dutton warned athletes not to overstay their visas.

'Our message to the 0.5 per cent of people who might think they can over stay a visa, or not act within the considerations of that visa, is that Australia has very tough laws and they need to abide by those laws,' Mr Dutton said.

After news emerged of the group's disappearances, the minister told 2GB radio they were not going to trick the standing regulations.

Before the games Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton warned athletes not to overstay their visas

'These people and others who might have a similar objective need to hear this warning very clearly — they aren't going to game the system, they aren't going to stay here and the Australian Border Force officers in the compliance division there will find these people and they will be held in immigration detention until they can be deported.'

As the Games concluded, Cameroon's Chef de Mission said he had given up hope of finding the athletes who vanished.

Victor Agbor Nso said their fleeing of the athletes' village over the course of three days had left him drained.

Arcangeline Fouodji Sonkbou is pictured who is believed to be among the missing group

Cameroon's Simplice Fotsala (pictured left) went missing after competing at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast

'As far as I am aware they are still missing,' he told the ABC as he prepared to fly home.

'I have spoken, I have communicated sufficiently on this and the issue is now in the hands of the Australian Government, especially the Australian police.

'I do not want to talk about this any more, I am concentrating on returning home.'

Mr Nso said the situation was disappointing for the African nation.

'These athletes ... were part of a team that had a training camp in Warwick before getting to [the] Gold Coast,' he said in a statement last week.

'But out here, only six of them effectively took part in their respective competitions, while two left without competing.'

Games organising committee chairman Peter Beattie said at the time that as things stood, none of the athletes had breached Australian law.

'This happens at every games, it's no surprise ... if there is a breach (of visa) Peter Dutton and his team will deal with it,' Beattie said.