1804743 (Refugee)

[2023] AATA 4525

1804743 (Refugee) [2023] AATA 4525 (19 October 2023)

DECISION RECORD

DIVISION:  Migration & Refugee Division

CASE NUMBER:  1804743

COUNTRY OF REFERENCE:                   China

MEMBER:  L Symons

DATE:  19 October 2023

PLACE OF DECISION:  Sydney

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

Statement made on 19 October 2023 at 4:46pm

CATCHWORDS

REFUGEE – protection visa – China – non-appearance before the Tribunal – religion – underground Christian – insufficient information before the Tribunal – decision under review affirmed

LEGISLATION

Migration Act 1958 (Cth), ss 5H, 5J, 36, 65
Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), Schedule 2

CASES

MIEA v Guo & Anor (1997) 191 CLR 559
Nagalingam v MILGEA (1992) 38 FCR 191
Prasad v MIEA (1985) 6 FCR 155

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 on 1 February 2018 to refuse to grant the applicant a Protection visa under s 65 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) (the Act).

2. The applicant, who claims to be a citizen of China, arrived in Australia [in] August 2017 as the holder of a Visitor (Class FA) (Subclass 600) visa. This visa ceased [in] November 2017.

3. On 23 September 2017, the applicant applied to the Department of Immigration (the Department) for a Protection (Class XA) (Subclass 866) visa. On 8 November 2017, he was granted an associated Bridging visa. On 1 February 2018, the Department refused to grant him the Protection visa on the basis that he is not a person in respect of whom Australia has protection obligations. On 22 February 2018, he applied to the Tribunal for review of that decision.

4. On 25 September 2023, the Tribunal wrote to the applicant and advised him that it had considered the material before it but was unable to make a favourable decision on this information alone. The Tribunal invited him to appear before the Tribunal on 18 October 2023 at 2.00pm to give evidence and present arguments relating to the issues arising in his case. The letter indicated that if he did not appear at the scheduled hearing the Tribunal may make a decision on the review without taking any further action to allow or enable him to appear before it or may dismiss his application for review without any further consideration of the application or the information before it. This letter was sent to him to the email address he nominated for correspondence on 25 September 2023. This email was not returned to the Tribunal undelivered. The Tribunal did not receive a Response to Hearing Invitation as requested.

5. On 11 October 2023 and 17 October 2023, the Tribunal sent the applicant SMS messages to his mobile telephone number to remind him of the hearing date and provided him with a telephone number to contact the Tribunal if he had any questions. He did not contact the Tribunal.

6. The applicant did not attend the hearing on 18 October 2023. He did not contact the Tribunal to explain his non-attendance or to request a postponement of the hearing.

7. The Tribunal notes that the applicant did not attend his interview with the Department on 30 January 2018 and did not provide any explanation for his failure to do so. In these circumstances, the Tribunal will proceed to make a decision on the review based on the documentary evidence before it.

8. The issues that arise on review are whether the applicant is owed Australia’s protection under the refugee criterion or under the complementary protection criterion.

CRITERIA FOR A PROTECTION VISA

1. The criteria for a Protection visa are set out in s 36 of the Act and Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) (the Regulations). An applicant for the visa must meet one of the alternative criteria in s 36(2)(a), (aa), (b), or (c). That is, he or she is either a person in respect of whom Australia has protection obligations under the ‘refugee’ criterion, or on other

‘complementary protection’ grounds, or is a member of the same family unit as such a person and that person holds a Protection visa of the same class.

1. Section 36(2)(a) provides that a criterion for a Protection visa is that the applicant for the visa is a non-citizen in Australia in respect of whom the Minister is satisfied Australia has protection obligations because the person is a refugee.

2. A person is a refugee if, in the case of a person who has a nationality, they are outside the country of their nationality and, owing to a well-founded fear of persecution, are unable or unwilling to avail themselves of the protection of that country: s 5H(1)(a). In the case of a person without a nationality, they are a refugee if they are outside the country of their former habitual residence and, owing to a well-founded fear of persecution, are unable or unwilling to return to that country: s 5H(1)(b).

3. Under s 5J(1), a person has a well-founded fear of persecution if they fear being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, there is a real chance they would be persecuted for one or more of those reasons, and the real chance of persecution relates to all areas of the relevant country. Additional requirements relating to a ‘well-founded fear of persecution’ and circumstances in which a person will be taken not to have such a fear are set out in ss 5J(2)-(6) and ss 5K-LA, which are extracted in the attachment to this decision.

4. If a person is found not to meet the refugee criterion in s 36(2)(a), he or she may nevertheless meet the criteria for the grant of the visa if he or she is a non-citizen in Australia in respect of whom the Minister is satisfied Australia has protection obligations because the Minister has substantial grounds for believing that, as a necessary and foreseeable consequence of being removed from Australia to a receiving country, there is a real risk that he or she will suffer significant harm: s 36(2)(aa) (‘the complementary protection criterion’). The meaning of significant harm, and the circumstances in which a person will be taken not to face a real risk of significant harm, are set out in ss 36(2A) and (2B), which are extracted in the attachment to this decision.

Mandatory considerations

1. In accordance with Ministerial Direction No.84, made under s 499 of the Act, the Tribunal has taken account of the ‘Refugee Law Guidelines’ and ‘Complementary Protection Guidelines’ prepared by the Department of Home Affairs, and country information assessments prepared by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade expressly for protection status determination purposes, to the extent that they are relevant to the decision under consideration.

CONSIDERATION OF CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE

1. The applicant’s claims in his application for a Protection visa are summarised as follows:

   ·The applicant was born on [date] at Laiwu, Shandong Province in China.

   ·He is a devout underground Christian. Through the Lords teachings he felt happy and made many friends. He felt lucky to become a Christian. Jesus Christ taught him a lot.

   ·However, there is no freedom of religious beliefs as Chinese Communist party combats all underground religious beliefs. Many of his Church friends were caught during the underground gathering and were cruelly tortured and insulted in the detention centre.

·The Police wanted to arrest him because they knew he is a devout underground Christian. They continually came to his home and harassed his family. For his safety, he escaped China and came to Australia. In Australia he can practice his religion without any restraints.

·If he returns to China he will be harmed by the government just like other underground Christians. He is regarded as a heretic by the government. They will arrest, abuse and torture him in the prison. He will be forced to give up his beliefs.

·The Chinese authorities and local government will not protect him. He cannot survive in China as an underground Christian.

1. The applicant provided the Department with the bio data page of his Chinese passport issued [in] 2017 and valid [until] 2027.

2. The applicant was invited to attend an interview with the Department on 30 January 2018. He failed to attend the interview and did not provide any explanation for his non-attendance. His application for a Protection visa was refused on 1 February 2018.

3. The applicant has filed with the Tribunal a copy of the Department’s Decision Record dated 1 February 2018 and a copy of the bio data page of his Chinese passport issued [in] 2017 and valid [until] 2027.

   Receiving Country

4. The applicant claims to be a citizen of China and has provided a copy of the bio data page of his Chinese passport to the Department and the Tribunal. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, the Tribunal finds that he is a citizen of China. The Tribunal finds that China is the receiving country for the purpose of assessing his claims for protection under the refugee criterion and the complementary protection criterion.

   Third Country Protection

5. The Tribunal finds that the applicant is outside his country of nationality. There is no evidence before the Tribunal to indicate that he has the right to enter and reside in any country other than his country of nationality.

   Assessment of Claims

6. The mere fact that a person claims a fear of persecution for a particular reason does not establish the genuineness of the asserted fear or that it is for the reason claimed or that it is well founded. It remains for the applicant to satisfy the Tribunal that all of the statutory elements are made out. Although the concept of onus of proof is not appropriate to administrative inquiries and decision-making, the relevant facts of the individual case will have to be supplied by the applicant himself/herself in as much detail as is necessary to enable the decision maker to establish the relevant facts. A decision maker is not required to make the applicant's case for him/her. Nor is the Tribunal required to accept uncritically any and all of the allegations made by an applicant. (MIEA v Guo & Anor (1997) 191 CLR 559 at 596, Nagalingam v MILGEA (1992) 38 FCR 191, Prasad v MIEA (1985) 6 FCR 155 at 169

   70.)

7. In this case, the applicant's claims are made in the most general terms and they are unsubstantiated. He has not filed any documentary evidence with the Department or the Tribunal to support his claims. He did not attend the interview with the delegate on 30 January 2018 and provide oral evidence. As he did not attend the hearing before the

Tribunal on 18 October 2023, the Tribunal was unable to obtain further details of his claims and to test their veracity.

1. If the applicant had attended the hearing, the Tribunal would have discussed with him the process of his conversion to Christianity, how he learnt about Christianity, whether he has been Baptised, when and where he was Baptised and how he practised his faith in China. The Tribunal would have ascertained the circumstances in which his Church friends were caught by the Chinese authorities and how he avoided being caught. The Tribunal would have clarified how the Police were aware that he was a devout underground Christian.

2. If the applicant had attended the hearing, the Tribunal would have obtained details of whether and how he practised Christianity in Australia and whether he had maintained contact with his Church friends in China. The Tribunal would have sought information on whether he intended practising Christianity on his return to China and whether there was any reason why he could not do so in an official Christian Church.

3. If the applicant had attended the hearing, the Tribunal would have ascertained whether he now fears that he will be arrested by the Police, some 6 years later, if he returns to China. The Tribunal would have discussed relocation as well as relevant country information with him. The Tribunal would have found out why he did not attend the interview with the Department.

4. On the limited evidence before it, the Tribunal is not satisfied that the applicant became a Christian in China. It follows that the Tribunal does not accept any of his claims that flow from that. The Tribunal is not satisfied that he is of adverse interest to the Chinese authorities. The Tribunal is not satisfied that he left China for the reasons claimed or that he fears returning to China for the reasons claimed.

5. On the evidence before it, the Tribunal is not satisfied that there is a real chance of serious harm or a real risk of significant harm to the applicant, for any of the reasons claimed, if he returns to China now or in the reasonably foreseeable future.

   Does Australia have protection obligations to the applicant under the refugee criterion?

6. On the limited evidence before it and in view of the above findings, the Tribunal is not satisfied that the applicant has a well-founded fear of persecution for reason of his religion or any other reason set out in s.5J(1)(a) of the Act, that there is a real chance that he would be persecuted for one or more of those reasons and the real chance of persecution relates to all areas of China. Therefore, he does not meet the definition of refugee as set out in s.5H of the Act. Accordingly, the Tribunal is not satisfied that the applicant is a person in respect of whom Australia has protection obligations under s.36(2)(a) of the Act.

   Does Australia have protection obligations to the applicant under the complementary protection criterion?

7. As the Tribunal has found that the applicant does not meet the refugee criterion in s.36(2)(a) of the Act, the Tribunal has considered whether he may nevertheless meet the criterion for the grant of a Protection visa pursuant to the complementary protection criterion.

8. On the limited evidence before it and in view of the above findings, the Tribunal is not satisfied that there are substantial grounds for believing that, as a necessary and foreseeable consequence of the applicant being removed from Australia to China, there is a real risk that he will suffer significant harm. Therefore, the Tribunal is not satisfied that the applicant is a person in respect of whom Australia has protection obligations under s.36(2)(aa) of the Act.

CONCLUSION

1. For the reasons given above, the Tribunal is not satisfied that the applicant is a person in respect of whom Australia has protection obligations under s.36(2)(a) or s.36(2)(aa) of the Act.

2. There is no suggestion that the applicant satisfies s.36(2) of the Act on the basis of being a member of the same family unit as a person who satisfies s.36(2)(a) or (aa) of the Act and who holds a Protection visa. Accordingly, the applicant does not satisfy the criterion in s.36(2) of the Act.

DECISION

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

L. Symons Member

ATTACHMENT - Extract from Migration Act 1958

5 (1) Interpretation

…

cruel or inhuman treatment or punishment means an act or omission by which:

(a)    severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person; or

(b)   pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person so long as, in all the circumstances, the act or omission could reasonably be regarded as cruel or inhuman in nature;

but does not include an act or omission:

(c)    that is not inconsistent with Article 7 of the Covenant; or

(d)   arising only from, inherent in or incidental to, lawful sanctions that are not inconsistent with the Articles of the Covenant.

…

degrading treatment or punishment means an act or omission that causes, and is intended to cause, extreme humiliation which is unreasonable, but does not include an act or omission:

(a)    that is not inconsistent with Article 7 of the Covenant; or

(b)   that causes, and is intended to cause, extreme humiliation arising only from, inherent in or incidental to, lawful sanctions that are not inconsistent with the Articles of the Covenant.

…

torture means an act or omission by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person:

(a)    for the purpose of obtaining from the person or from a third person information or a confession; or

(b)   for the purpose of punishing the person for an act which that person or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed; or

(c)    for the purpose of intimidating or coercing the person or a third person; or

(d)   for a purpose related to a purpose mentioned in paragraph (a), (b) or (c); or

(e)    for any reason based on discrimination that is inconsistent with the Articles of the Covenant;

but does not include an act or omission arising only from, inherent in or incidental to, lawful sanctions that are not inconsistent with the Articles of the Covenant.

…

receiving country, in relation to a non-citizen, means:

(a)    a country of which the non-citizen is a national, to be determined solely by reference to the law of the relevant country; or

(b)   if the non-citizen has no country of nationality—a country of his or her former habitual residence, regardless of whether it would be possible to return the non-citizen to the country.

…

5H  Meaning of refugee

(1)For the purposes of the application of this Act and the regulations to a particular person in Australia, the person is a refugee if the person is:

(a)    in a case where the person has a nationality – is outside the country of his or her nationality and, owing to a well-founded fear of persecution, is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country; or

(b)   in a case where the person does not have a nationality – is outside the country of his or her former habitual residence and owing to a well-founded fear of persecution, is unable or unwilling to return to it.

Note:     For the meaning of well-founded fear of persecution, see section 5J.

…

5J     Meaning of well-founded fear of persecution

(1)For the purposes of the application of this Act and the regulations to a particular person, the person has a

well-founded fear of persecution if:

(a)    the person fears being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion; and

(b)   there is a real chance that, if the person returned to the receiving country, the person would be persecuted for one or more of the reasons mentioned in paragraph (a); and

(c)    the real chance of persecution relates to all areas of a receiving country.

Note:     For membership of a particular social group, see sections 5K and 5L.

(2)A person does not have a well-founded fear of persecution if effective protection measures are available to the person in a receiving country.

Note:     For effective protection measures, see section 5LA.

(3)A person does not have a well-founded fear of persecution if the person could take reasonable steps to modify his or her behaviour so as to avoid a real chance of persecution in a receiving country, other than a modification that would:

(a)    conflict with a characteristic that is fundamental to the person’s identity or conscience; or

(b)   conceal an innate or immutable characteristic of the person; or

(c)    without limiting paragraph (a) or (b), require the person to do any of the following:

(i)alter his or her religious beliefs, including by renouncing a religious conversion, or conceal his or her true religious beliefs, or cease to be involved in the practice of his or her faith;

(ii)conceal his or her true race, ethnicity, nationality or country of origin;

(iii)alter his or her political beliefs or conceal his or her true political beliefs;

(iv)conceal a physical, psychological or intellectual disability;

(v)enter into or remain in a marriage to which that person is opposed, or accept the forced marriage of a child;

(vi)alter his or her sexual orientation or gender identity or conceal his or her true sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status.

(4)If a person fears persecution for one or more of the reasons mentioned in paragraph (1)(a):

(a)    that reason must be the essential and significant reason, or those reasons must be the essential and significant reasons, for the persecution; and

(b)   the persecution must involve serious harm to the person; and

(c)    the persecution must involve systematic and discriminatory conduct.

(5)Without limiting what is serious harm for the purposes of paragraph (4)(b), the following are instances of

serious harm for the purposes of that paragraph:

(a)    a threat to the person’s life or liberty;

(b)   significant physical harassment of the person;

(c)    significant physical ill-treatment of the person;

(d)   significant economic hardship that threatens the person’s capacity to subsist;

(e)    denial of access to basic services, where the denial threatens the person’s capacity to subsist;

(f)    denial of capacity to earn a livelihood of any kind, where the denial threatens the person’s capacity to subsist.

(6)In determining whether the person has a well-founded fear of persecution for one or more of the reasons mentioned in paragraph (1)(a), any conduct engaged in by the person in Australia is to be disregarded unless the person satisfies the Minister that the person engaged in the conduct otherwise than for the purpose of strengthening the person’s claim to be a refugee.

5K  Membership of a particular social group consisting of family

For the purposes of the application of this Act and the regulations to a particular person (the first person), in determining whether the first person has a well-founded fear of persecution for the reason of membership of a particular social group that consists of the first person’s family:

(a)    disregard any fear of persecution, or any persecution, that any other member or former member (whether alive or dead) of the family has ever experienced, where the reason for the fear or persecution is not a reason mentioned in paragraph 5J(1)(a); and

(b)   disregard any fear of persecution, or any persecution, that:

(i)the first person has ever experienced; or

(ii)   any other member or former member (whether alive or dead) of the family has ever experienced; where it is reasonable to conclude that the fear or persecution would not exist if it were assumed that the fear or persecution mentioned in paragraph (a) had never existed.

Note:     Section 5G may be relevant for determining family relationships for the purposes of this section.

5L  Membership of a particular social group other than family

For the purposes of the application of this Act and the regulations to a particular person, the person is to be treated as a member of a particular social group (other than the person’s family) if:

(a)    a characteristic is shared by each member of the group; and

(b)   the person shares, or is perceived as sharing, the characteristic; and

(c)    any of the following apply:

(i)the characteristic is an innate or immutable characteristic;

(ii)the characteristic is so fundamental to a member’s identity or conscience, the member should not be forced to renounce it;

(iii)the characteristic distinguishes the group from society; and

(d)   the characteristic is not a fear of persecution.

5LA Effective protection measures

(1)For the purposes of the application of this Act and the regulations to a particular person, effective protection measures are available to the person in a receiving country if:

(a)    protection against persecution could be provided to the person by:

(i)the relevant State; or

(ii)a party or organisation, including an international organisation, that controls the relevant State or a substantial part of the territory of the relevant State; and

(b)   the relevant State, party or organisation mentioned in paragraph (a) is willing and able to offer such protection.

(2)A relevant State, party or organisation mentioned in paragraph (1)(a) is taken to be able to offer protection against persecution to a person if:

(a)    the person can access the protection; and

(b)   the protection is durable; and

(c)    in the case of protection provided by the relevant State—the protection consists of an appropriate criminal law, a reasonably effective police force and an impartial judicial system.

…

36     Protection visas – criteria provided for by this Act

…

(2)A criterion for a protection visa is that the applicant for the visa is:

(a)    a non-citizen in Australia in respect of whom the Minister is satisfied Australia has protection obligations because the person is a refugee; or

(aa) a non-citizen in Australia (other than a non-citizen mentioned in paragraph (a)) in respect of whom the Minister is satisfied Australia has protection obligations because the Minister has substantial grounds for believing that, as a necessary and foreseeable consequence of the non-citizen being removed from Australia to a receiving country, there is a real risk that the non-citizen will suffer significant harm; or

(b)   a non-citizen in Australia who is a member of the same family unit as a non-citizen who:

(i)is mentioned in paragraph (a); and

(ii)holds a protection visa of the same class as that applied for by the applicant; or

(c)    a non-citizen in Australia who is a member of the same family unit as a non-citizen who:

(i)is mentioned in paragraph (aa); and

(ii)   holds a protection visa of the same class as that applied for by the applicant. (2A) A non-citizen will suffer significant harm if:

(a)    the non-citizen will be arbitrarily deprived of his or her life; or

(b)   the death penalty will be carried out on the non-citizen; or

(c)    the non-citizen will be subjected to torture; or

(d)   the non-citizen will be subjected to cruel or inhuman treatment or punishment; or

(e)    the non-citizen will be subjected to degrading treatment or punishment.

(2B) However, there is taken not to be a real risk that a non-citizen will suffer significant harm in a country if the Minister is satisfied that:

(a)    it would be reasonable for the non-citizen to relocate to an area of the country where there would not be a real risk that the non-citizen will suffer significant harm; or

(b)   the non-citizen could obtain, from an authority of the country, protection such that there would not be a real risk that the non-citizen will suffer significant harm; or

(c)    the real risk is one faced by the population of the country generally and is not faced by the non-citizen personally.

…