Nearly 200 criminals with offences including murder, rape and drug dealing have been saved from deportation by the Administrative Appeals ­Tribunal since 2010.

The tribunal overturned decisions made by delegates of Peter Dutton, despite more than 160 foreign-born criminals imposing serious risks to Australia, The Australian reported.

Out of 164 cases, 23 were found guilty of armed robbery, 33 were drug dealers, 17 were rapists and eight were convicted of murder.

The tribunal overturned deportation decisions made by delegates of Peter Dutton (pictred), despite more than 160 foreign-born criminals imposing serious risks to Australia

Startling figures revealed the AAT overruled more decisions made by delegates of the Immigration Minister that it upheld in the past financial year.

After reviewing 13,755 decisions made by delegates, the AAT was found to have rejected 5276, and affirmed just 5110.

The same was the case for each of the past five years - more were saved from deportation that were deported.

Evidence of decisions made were also not easy to find, given the AAT published just 12.5 per cent of them in 2015-16, 7.3 per cent in 2016-17 and 15.5 per cent so far this financial year,' Herald Sun reported.

Nearly 200 criminals with offences including murder, rape and drug dealing have been saved from deportation by the Administrative Appeals ­Tribunal since 2010

Nearly 100 cases of rescued foreign-born criminals were from Sydney, while in Melbourne there were 31, 13 for both Perth and Brisbane, 7 in Adelaide and one each in Hobart and Canberra.

Among those saved by the AAT from deportation in Sydney was Catholic priest Finian Egan, 83, who in 2013 was sentenced to eight years prison for rape and seven counts of indecent assault on young girls during the 1960s to 1980s.

Despite Mr Dutton saying it was 'contrary to the public interest' for Egan to remain in Australia, AAT deputy president Janine Stevenson overturned his deportation to Ireland.

Factors such as his age, poor health and low likelihood of re-offending were offered as reasons by Mr Stevenson.

Finian Egan (pictured), 83, was sentenced to eight years prison for rape and seven counts of indecent assault on young girls during the 1960s to 1980 and was allowed to stay in Australia

Brazilian-born Pedro Fernandes, 27, was sentenced to four years behind bars after an armed robbery at the Randwick Golf Club in Sydney's eastern suburbs in 2012.

He too was allowed to continue living in Australia following his successful appeal to the AAT.

A Muslim Iraqi father with almost 30 convictions to his name was cleared of deportation because AAT member Peter Taylor claimed the father-of-seven wouldn't receive the mental and physical support he needed if he was sent back to Iraq.

Nicholas Brown, from England, was deemed likely to 're-offend in a serious manner involving violence', but allowed to stay despite his 65 convictions between 1988 and 2010.

Brazilian-born Pedro Fernandes was allowed to continue living in Australia after winning his AAT appeal. He was convicted of being involved in an armed robbery at a golf club

AAT deputy president Stan Hotop in 2012 said Brown's understanding of Australian standards and values meant 'such risk would not be unacceptable to the Australian community'.

Sexual predator, Gerald Adamson, from New Zealand wasn't deported despite raping and killing a 21-year-old student while she was sleeping at a house party in Sydney.

AAT senior member Ms Geri Ettinger said he was of low risk to Australia and was unlikely to re-offend, however, he was eventually kicked out in 2011.

Former Carlton AFL player Peter Labi was saved from being deported to Papua New Guinea even after a delegate for Mr Dutton decided there was a risk he would engage in criminal conduct or harass, molest, intimidate or stalk another person in Australia.

He was arrested for threatening to 'brutally beat' and 'smash and destroy' the face of any man he saw his partner with.