The Australian government is accused of a spin over the visa approvals.
On Sunday a statement from the department said it has granted humanitarian visas to more than 100 Afghan nationals who worked at its embassy, a day after telling them their visa applications had been rejected.
The conflicting information has created confusion as thousands try to flee the Taliban regime.
Glenn Kolomeitz, a migration lawyer and former army major, accused the government of trying “to spin this to the media”, before informing his clients.