A Federal Court judge has reprimanded Immigration Minister David Coleman for deporting a New Zealand national while a legal challenge to his visa cancellation was underway.

Chief Justice James Allsop said in a written decision that the minister and his department had failed to give the man "a full and reasonable opportunity" to challenge his removal and ordered them to search for the man and inform him that his case was ongoing.

Immigration Minister David Coleman and his department have been ordered to inform a deported man of his rights. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

He noted that removing a person from Australia without properly allowing them to challenge the decision and seek an injunction preventing deportation could lead to a contempt of court.

However, in this case, he was not prepared to conclude that immigration officials acted inappropriately. "If I may, however, without disrespect to those involved, put it in the colloquial: near enough is never good enough in circumstances such as this," he said.