Australia lobbying US over refugee deal

The Turnbull government is continuing to lobby senior Trump administration officials to accept refugees from Nauru and Manus Island for resettlement in the US.

The government struck a deal with the outgoing Obama administration late last year but no numbers or time frames were publicly released.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he's confident the agreement will stick.

But there are concerns the deal could be impacted by pending executive orders by President Donald Trump to restrict immigration from certain Muslim-majority countries.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says Canberra is keen to work with the new administration in Washington but ultimately the decision is out of its hands.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said it's "not the end of the world" if the deal collapses because Australia's border protection policies will remain in place regardless.

Last year, Australia agreed to participate in a US-led program to resettle Central American refugees currently in Costa Rica.