The citizenship queue has blown out by more than 300 per cent under the Turnbull government, leaving migrants who have spent years in Australia without access to students loans, an Australian passport or the right to vote ahead of the next federal poll.

Department of Home Affairs figures show the number of residents waiting to be approved for citizenship has spiralled from 27,000 to 189,000 under the Coalition. More than 140,000 of those have been added while Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been in office.

Migrants say they have been left despairing at the situation, putting their study, plans to sponsor family members and apply for government jobs on hold in the midst of a divisive debate in Canberra.

Atul Vidhata. Credit:Darrian Traynor

That debate escalated on Wednesday, as both sides of politics condemned a speech in Parliament by Senator Fraser Anning that called for a "final solution to the immigration problem" and a return to the "White Australia policy."