​A young South Sudanese man jailed for violent offending won a reprieve from deportation to his homeland because authorities failed to consider the impact on his family and his mental health problems.

The 25-year-man, whose identity is redacted, was jailed in 2012 for armed robbery and other offences that a sentencing judge described as "dangerous, frightening and extremely violent".

Credit:Louie Douvis

Such was his offending that the federal government cancelled his humanitarian visa – issued when he came to Australia as a refugee, aged 14 – to have him sent back to South Sudan once released from prison.

Amid the scrutiny on recent crimes in Melbourne involving young men of African background, state Police Minister Lisa Neville confirmed on Tuesday that some of the 18 people last year referred by Victoria Police to the federal government for visa cancellation were from Sudan.