Child sex offenders and murderers were among hundreds of criminals who faced being booted from Australia last year after losing their visas.

More than 800 criminals had their visas revoked in 2018 under laws that require non-citizens sentenced to 12 months or more to lose them.

The majority of the group - about 500 people - had been sentenced for violent crimes.

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The group included 100 people involved in child sex offences or child exploitation, 53 people involved in domestic violence, 34 involved in sexual offences and 13 murderers.

Visas were also stripped from 125 people sentenced for assault and 56 for armed robbery.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said there was no place in Australia for those who seek to harm others.

"We welcome people from all round the world, but those few who think they can live in Australia and be involved in criminal actions need to know they won't be staying long," he said in a statement on Monday.

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The latest figures bring the total number of non-citizen criminals stripped of Australian visas to 4150 since 2014, after mandatory cancellation provisions for criminals dealt sentences of 12 months or more were added to the Migration Act.

The federal government introduced draft laws to parliament in October that could lead to even more foreign-born criminals getting the boot.

Under the bill, anyone convicted of an offence punishable by at least two years in prison could have their visa cancelled - regardless of whether they were jailed for less time, or not jailed at all.

The laws would capture violent and sexual crimes including riots, home invasions, carjackings and serious breaches of family violence orders.