THE long-awaited closure of Australia’s immigration centre on Manus Island is set to start within weeks.

Papua New Guinea immigration officials on Monday reportedly told refugees that an area of the Manus camp would close next Sunday, with the rest of the compound to be shut on June 30.

An unspecified number of asylum-seekers will be relocated to a transit centre, according to Reuters.

Detainees awaiting acceptance for resettlement by the United States have been told that some of them will be held at the East Lorengau camp, near the island’s major town.

AAP is seeking comment from the Department of Immigration.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has said refugees who aren’t taken under the US resettlement deal will settle in PNG, while non-refugees will be sent back to their home country.

The Australia-US refugee deal stoked tensions between the two countries with incoming US president Donald Trump calling it “dumb” and leading to a tense phone call between him and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

In a recent Time magazine interview Mr Trump denied his reaction to the deal had soured relations between the countries, claiming “we have a very good relationship with Australia and him (Mr Turnbull)”.

Although he repeated his criticism of the deal, calling it “ridiculous”.

The Manus Island complex was slated for closure on October 31, after PNG’s Supreme Court ruled it illegal in 2016.

Human rights groups and the United Nations have criticised the camps for cramped conditions, inadequate medical facilities, and violence, with activists renewing calls for the centre to be immediately shut down in recent months. News of the planned closure came after Amnesty International released its report into the Good Friday shooting at the centre.

The human rights group said verified footage and images confirmed bullets were fired directly into the camps during the rampage, contradicting initial claims made by Australian immigration officials and Papua New Guinea police suggesting soldiers only fired bullets into the air.

Mr Dutton has repeatedly stated PNG soldiers opened fire on the centre because they were concerned about the welfare of a young boy who was allegedly led into the compound.