1718602 (Refugee)

[2019] AATA 517

1718602 (Refugee) [2019] AATA 517 (1 March 2019)

DECISION RECORD

DIVISION:Migration & Refugee Division

CASE NUMBER:  1718602

COUNTRY OF REFERENCE:                  Malaysia

MEMBER:Jason Pennell

DATE:1 March 2019

PLACE OF DECISION:  Melbourne

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

Statement made on 1 March 2018 at 2.57pm

CATCHWORDS
REFUGEE – protection visa – Malaysia – applicant departed Australia – decision under review affirmed

LEGISLATION
Migration Act 1958 (Cth), 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 18 August 2017 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 Malaysia, applied for the visa on 13 June 2017.

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

CONSIDERATION OF CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Movement records indicate that the applicant is not in Australia. It appears that he left Australia [in] July 2018. By a letter dated 13 December 2018 the Tribunal advised the applicant that its records showed that he had not been in Australia since 16 July 2018 and therefore could not be granted a protection visa. The Tribunal invited the applicant to respond or comment on its letter by 27 December 2018. No correspondence has been received by the Tribunal in response to its letter.  

4. 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.

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

DECISION

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

Jason Pennell
Member