Rebels bikie boss Alex Vella, known as the Maltese Falcon, has been locked out of Australia after Immigration Minister Scott Morrison cancelled his visa while he was overseas, the Herald Sun reported.

The minister swooped while Mr Vella, 60, is in Malta. He cancelled his visa on character grounds.

The move means Mr Vella, who has lived in Australia for more than 45 years but was never gained citizenship, is now without any legal means of returning to Australia.

A former boxing champion and millionaire property developer, Sydney-based Mr Vella founded Australia’s largest outlaw bikie group, the Rebels, and is their long-serving national president, the newspaper said.

Australia's Daily Telegraph said the visa decision was a massive blow to the 2000-strong Outlaw Motor Cycle Gang.

There had been a number of previous attempts by Australian authorities  to have his visa cancelled but they were always been while he was still in the country.

Mr Vella is a folk hero among the bikie world for his toughness as a bouncer and a boxer. He has also won a number of legal battles in the courts.

In May this year police from NSW Strikeforce Raptor ­raided a building on Mr Vella's Leppington property claiming it was an illegal bikie clubhouse.

Mr Vella was due in court in 10 days to fight police moves to have the structure declared a “restricted premises”, which would allow police to enter without a warrant.