1712797 (Refugee)

This matter concerned an application for review of a delegate's decision to refuse the applicant, an Iranian citizen, a protection visa under section 65 of the *Migration Act 1958* (Cth). The applicant, who arrived in Australia in 2008 and applied for the protection visa in 2014, claimed to fear persecution in Iran due to his adherence to the Nematollahi Gonabadi Dervish Order (NGDO/Dervishism).

The core legal issue before the Tribunal was whether the applicant met the criteria for a protection visa under section 36(2)(a) or (aa) of the Act, specifically whether he had a well-founded fear of persecution in Iran based on his religious affiliation with the NGDO/Dervish faith, or on other complementary protection grounds.

The Tribunal considered the applicant's claims in light of the evidence presented, including his application, statutory declaration, and submissions made by his migration agent. The Tribunal's reasoning, though not detailed in the provided text, led to the conclusion that the applicant did not satisfy the criteria for a protection visa. The decision under review was therefore affirmed.