1618803 (Refugee)

[2018] AATA 4147

1618803 (Refugee) [2018] AATA 4147 (6 September 2018)

DECISION RECORD

DIVISION:Migration & Refugee Division

CASE NUMBER:  1618803

COUNTRY OF REFERENCE:                  Taiwan

MEMBER:Alison Mercer

DATE:6 September 2018

PLACE OF DECISION:  Melbourne

DECISION:The Tribunal affirms the decision not to grant the applicant a protection visa.

Statement made on 06 September 2018 at 12:39pm

CATCHWORDS
REFUGEE – protection Visa – Taiwan ­– applicant not in Australia – decision under review affirmed

LEGISLATION
Migration Act 1958, ss 36, 65

Any references appearing in square brackets indicate that information has been omitted from this decision pursuant to section 431 of the Migration Act 1958 and replaced with generic information which does not allow the identification of an applicant, or their relative or other dependant.

STATEMENT OF DECISION AND REASONS

APPLICATION FOR REVIEW

1. This is an application for review of a decision made by a delegate of the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection on 7 November 2016 to refuse to grant the applicant a protection visa under s.65 of the Migration Act 1958 (the Act). The applicant, who claims to be a citizen of Taiwan, applied for the visa on 10 June 2015.

2. For the following reasons, the Tribunal has decided to affirm the decision under review.

   CONSIDERATION OF CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE

3. Under s.65(1), a visa may be granted only if the decision maker is satisfied that the prescribed criteria for the visa have been satisfied.

4. So far as is relevant to this matter, s.36(2) of the Act provides that a criterion for a protection visa is that the applicant for the visa is a non-citizen in Australia. This means that a protection visa may only be granted if the applicant is in Australia.

5. Movement records indicate that the applicant is not in Australia. It appears that he left Australia on 21 March 2018, and remains outside Australia as at 6 September 2018. The Tribunal wrote to the applicant on 6 August 2018 advising that its records showed that he is not in Australia and therefore could not be granted a protection visa and inviting the applicant to comment on the information. The applicant did not provide any response to the Tribunal.

6. The Tribunal is satisfied from the circumstances set out above that the applicant is not in Australia. Therefore, the applicant does not satisfy the requirements of s.36(2) and cannot be granted a protection visa.

7. Having reached this conclusion, it is not necessary to consider the applicant's substantive case for the grant of the visa.

   DECISION

8. The Tribunal affirms the decision not to grant the applicant a protection visa.

   Alison Mercer
   Member