The department is not required to, and has refuted any wrongdoing

Border Department did not give him prior notification of visa cancellation

Mr Lee has spoken about the conditions at the immigration centre

Bernard Lee, 26, was taken to Yongah Hill Detention Centre last Monday

An Irishman who claims to be unfairly detained at an immigration detention centre says he often only gets two 'questionable' meals a day and believes people are locked up at a massive waste of tax dollars despite wanting to leave the country.

Bernard Lee, 26, was arrested by armed officers one week ago and driven from the Perth home he shares with his girlfriend to Yongah Hill Detention Centre.

An application for permanent residency had been rejected and his current working visa was cancelled.

But Mr Lee and his lawyer Alisdair Putt were not informed until after he was arrested, an email from the Department of Border Protection to Mr Putt shows.

The department is not required to provide notice and the department has repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing.

Mr Lee, a bodybuilder and tiler who has lived in Australia for seven years, has spoken about the conditions at the centre while his future remains uncertain.

Irishman Bernard Lee, 26, has been detained at Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre (he is pictured with girlfriend Amal Algofiliy)

A week after his arrest, Mr Lee has told Daily Mail Australia about conditions at the centre

Mr Lee (pictured right inside the centre with fellow detainee Paul Davies) said many of those detained 'just want to leave' but 'are held for months or years on end at a cost of $2,500 per person each week ... wasting taxpayers' money'

He told Daily Mail Australia he is fed just two 'questionable' meals a day.

'It's pretty much just curry. I had curry for lunch yesterday and curry for dinner,' Mr Lee told Daily Mail Australia.

He said cereal is also left out for breakfast - which would add up to three meals a day - but 'if you're not quick, you don't get any'.

Meals are served on a tray 'like prison in the movies'.

Mr Lee said many of those detained 'just want to leave' but 'are held for months or years on end at a cost of $2,500 per person each week ... wasting taxpayers' money'.

The 26-year-old had ironically earlier booked a flight to Europe for this Wednesday to attend his brother's wedding with his girlfriend.

But he has not been allowed to leave the country on the flight and has been told he will spend up to three months in detention before he is deported. He will likely never be able to return to Australia.

If he appeals, Mr Lee would need to remain in detention for several years until the long process is completed.

'There's a lot of claims in here that they intentionally drag everything out to stop you wanting to appeal,' Mr Lee told Daily Mail Australia.

'The system is just totally ruined. It doesn't work at all.

'The system, the whole system, is definitely very flawed.'

The bodybuilder and full-time tiler has lived in Australia for seven years, since he was 18

'The system is just totally ruined. It doesn't work at all,' he said. 'The system, the whole system, is definitely very flawed,' Mr Lee said

Mr Lee said he spends his days in detention 'walking around the yard, basically, that's it'

Mr Lee (pictured right inside the centre) said he was not aware of any mental health care at the centre. And if detainees need to see a doctor, they must put in a request and only hear back between 28 and 40 hours later

Mr Lee said he spends his days in detention 'walking around the yard, basically, that's it'.

'It's definitely had an impact on my mental health ... There are guys here just walking around talking to walls.'

Mr Lee said he was not aware of any mental health care at the centre. And if detainees need to see a doctor, they only hear back between 28 and 40 hours after putting in a request.

Daily Mail Australia has seen a copy of the reasons his visa was rejected and his visa was cancelled.

Mr Lee was found to not be of good character because of previous convictions – which include drink driving, driving without a licence, and obstructing police.

The latter conviction relates to being forcibly removed from a music festival when he was mistaken by police for another person they had previously ejected, Mr Lee said.

'In that incident a lot of security guards jumped on me claiming I assaulted someone,' Mr Lee told Daily Mail Australia.

'I wasn't fighting, I wasn't swinging punches or anything.'

Mr Lee was fined for his convictions, which he admitted to on his permanent visa application. He had not done so on inward passenger cards when arriving at the airport after holidays, apparently in error.

Mr Putt said this was not uncommon for someone who had been sentenced only with fines.

But he has been told he will most likely have to spend up to three months in detention before he is deported, and will likely never be able to return to Australia

The most recent offence took place in 2013, and Mr Lee now rarely drinks after taking up a healthier lifestyle.

Mr Putt has also taken issue with the lack of prior notification of Mr Lee's visa status.

'Why wasn't he given opportunity to leave the country rather than be taken into immigration detention?' Mr Putt said in an interview with Daily Mail Australia.

Mr Lee's visa was cancelled on May 4. He was only informed on July 26 – the day after he was arrested and detained.

Mr Putt admitted the government was not required to send him a letter or prior warning, but said there ought to be a risk assessment because some serious offenders could 'disappear underground'.

In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, a spokesperson for the Department of Border Protection refuted claims proper process has not been followed.

'This person's visa was cancelled because he was found not to be of good character. He was issued with a notice of consideration to refuse his visa application, to which he responded.

Mr Lee's visa was cancelled on May 4. He was only informed on July 26 – the day after he was arrested and detained

His permanent residency visa was refused and his current working visa was cancelled on grounds he was not of good character and was a risk to the community

'The Department was not satisfied his reasons met the threshold and that he continued to pose an unacceptable risk to the community so it refused that application. His other visa was then cancelled by operation of law.

'This individual has subsequently been detained while arrangements are made for his removal as soon as practicable.'

The department declined to answer further questions.

Most of the people at Yongah Hill are New Zealanders, and are waiting to be deported after spending years in prison. Some have breached their visa and others are asylum seekers.

Mr Lee said there was a Fijian man in the centre who has been married for 19-years to an Aboriginal women. Together they have three children.

'He's been here for four-and-a-half years,' Mr Lee said. 'We've got guys in here who've been in here for seven years.'

Many of those who've been in detention for long periods can't be deported until the situation in their home country changes, Mr Lee said, while the government doesn't want to release them into the Australian community.

A people smuggler is detained at the centre after spending four years in prison. Mr Lee said he was told the man was paid 250 million Indonesian Rupiah (about AU$25,200) per trip people smuggling, while 'the boss would have gotten US$7,000 (about AU$9,200) for each person on the boat'.

Yongah Hill Detention Centre, about 90km northeast of Perth, has been the scene of violent brawls, riots, breakouts and one case of self-immolation.

Pictured: Yonga Hill Immigration Detention Centre, where Mr Lee has been detained for the past week