The High Court has ruled that Immigration Minister Scott Morrison can’t impose a limit on how many refugee protection visas he can issue.

In a blow to the government’s tough stance on asylum seekers, High Court judges unanimously upheld challenges by a pair of asylum seekers who were determined by the Refugee Review Tribunal to be entitled to refugee protection.

But neither has been either granted or refused a protection visa.

In March, the minister signed a legal instrument saying a maximum of 2773 protection visas could be granted in the year to June 30.

That maximum having been reached, no new protection visas could be granted.