FOREIGN citizens desperate to live in Australia are swamping refugee and immigration tribunals by appealing against orders to leave. While much of the national attention has focused on boat arrivals, many thousands more arrive by plane and are fighting to stay. Thousands of extra appeals are being lodged by plane arrivals each year, leading to a cost blowout for taxpayers and long delays for applicants.
Frustrated tribunal members are finding some claims are blatantly faked, including a Chinese asylum seeker who said he was Catholic but didn't know who the Pope was. Other men lied about being gay or about being pursued by criminal gangs, ex-partners or corrupt officials in an attempt to gain asylum.
One Nigerian man sought protection for being part of a militant group involved in armed robbery, kidnapping and other non-political crimes.

Visa overstayers, including students, are also faking it or taking advantage of appeal delays to buy time in Australia at the expense of a clogged system.
The Refugee Review Tribunal, which handles only plane arrivals, had 2966 appeals lodged last year - a 31 per cent jump.
The Migration Review Tribunal, which handles student, spouse, business and bridging visas, had 10,315 appeals last year - up 24 per cent.
The Federal Government had to provide them an extra $14 million for the next four years.
sIt can be difficult for asylum seekers to prove persecution, but some claims unravelled under questioning from tribunal members.
Monash University associate researcher Adrienne Millbank said the asylum seeker appeals system was vulnerable to false claims.
"You hear about people who are full of hope and integrity and go on these review panels or decision making (bodies) and get totally cynical," Ms Millbank said.
"The whole system is totally farcical. It relies on the credibility of the story. If you were putting someone in prison on that sort of evidence everyone would be horrified."
Combined appeals to the two tribunals have tripled in the past five years, prompting principal member Denis O'Brien to warn of delays in settling cases this year.
A Canberra crackdown on student visas is contributing to the surge.
Immigration lawyers blame incorrect Immigration Department decisions,

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