After a slow start to the program – as recently as August 13 just 1,876 refugees had come to Australia – the pace of resettlement has dramatically increased in the past month.
Late on Thursday, the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, issued a statement saying more than half of the 12,000 visas promised – 6,678 – had been granted, and 3,532 of those visa holders had come to Australia under the program.