1622087 (Refugee)

The applicants, who are Coptic Christians from Egypt, sought protection visas. They claimed to fear harm from Muslims due to their religious beliefs and alleged experiences of discrimination in employment, their wife's assistance to a poor Christian woman, and an attempted kidnapping of their child. The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) was required to determine whether the applicants met the criteria for a protection visa under section 36(2)(a) or (aa) of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth), which would establish that Australia has protection obligations towards them.

The Tribunal considered the applicants' claims and found that there were significant credibility concerns arising from their inconsistent behaviour and the nature of their evidence. The Tribunal was not satisfied that the applicants had established a well-founded fear of persecution or harm that would engage Australia's protection obligations. Consequently, the Tribunal concluded that the applicants did not satisfy the essential criteria for the grant of a protection visa.

The Tribunal affirmed the delegate's decision not to grant the applicants protection visas.