1730069 (Refugee)

[2019] AATA 3350

1730069 (Refugee) [2019] AATA 3350 (4 March 2019)

DECISION RECORD

DIVISION:Migration & Refugee Division

CASE NUMBER:  1730069

COUNTRY OF REFERENCE:                   Malaysia

MEMBER:Michael Hawkins

DATE:4 March 2019

PLACE OF DECISION:  Brisbane

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

Statement made on 04 March 2019 at 10:12am

CATCHWORDS
REFUGEE – protection visa – Malaysia – applicant no longer in Australia – no response to communication – 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 27 November 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 6 April 2017.

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) of the Act, 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. Department of Immigration’s movement records indicate that the applicant is not in Australia. It appears that she left Australia [in] June 2018. The Tribunal wrote to the applicant on 23 January 2019 advising that its records showed that she is not in Australia and therefore could not be granted a protection visa and inviting the applicant to comment on the information. The Tribunal failed to receive any response from the applicant.  

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.

   Michael Hawkins
   Member