1835413 (Refugee)

[2023] AATA 4560

1835413 (Refugee) [2023] AATA 4560 (3 November 2023)

DECISION RECORD

DIVISION:Migration & Refugee Division

CASE NUMBER:  1835413

COUNTRY OF REFERENCE:                   China

MEMBER:Mr S Norman

DATE:3 November 2023

PLACE OF DECISION:  Sydney

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

Statement made on 03 November 2023 at 3:00pm

CATCHWORDS

REFUGEE – protection visa – China – religion – Christian – fear of detention – freedom of belief – accessing literature about beliefs – physical assault – employment – decision under review affirmed

LEGISLATION

Migration Act 1958, ss 5(1), 5AAA, 5H, 5J – 5LA, 36, 65, 426, 499
Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 2

CASES

Luu & Anor v Renevier (1989) 91 ALR 39
MIEA v Guo & Anor (1997) 144 ALR 567
Prasad v MIEA (1985) 6 FCR 155
Randhawa v MIEA (1994) 52 FCR 437
Yao-Jing Li v MIMA (1997) 74 FCR 275

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 dependants.

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 Home Affairs on 16 November 2018 to refuse to grant the applicant a protection visa under s 65 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) (the Act). The applicant who claims to be a citizen of China, applied for the visa on 10 January 2018. The Department delegate’s decision was lodged with the Tribunal.

   CRITERIA FOR A PROTECTION VISA

2. 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.

   Mandatory considerations

3. 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

4. For the following reasons, the Tribunal has concluded that the decision under review should be affirmed.

5. By hearing invitation letter dated 12 October 2023 (dispatched by email), the Tribunal advised the applicant it had considered all the material before it relating to his application, but it was unable to make a favourable decision on that information alone. The Tribunal invited the applicant to give oral evidence and present arguments at a hearing on 3 November 2023. The applicant was advised that if he did not attend the hearing and a postponement was not granted, the Tribunal may make a decision on his case without further notice. The Tribunal also sent two SMS hearing reminder texts to the applicant shortly prior to the hearing.

6. The applicant attended the Department interview on 9 November 2018. However, and regarding the Tribunal hearing, the applicant did not respond to the Tribunal hearing invitation letter, as he was invited to do. Neither did he attend the Tribunal at the day and time of the scheduled hearing.

7. In the circumstances, and after considering the evidence, and pursuant to s.426A of the Act, the Tribunal has decided to make its decision on the review without taking any further action to enable the applicant to appear before it.

   The applicant’s claims:

8. As recorded in the delegate’s decision, the applicant claimed:[1]

   ·He left China because he did not have the freedom to choose and practise his belief. In China, the only legal party is the Communist Party who forces people to believe them. They do not allow people to have their own belief such as Buddhism, Christian and Catholic etc. He tried to access books, online videos and news regarding beliefs, and he tried to practise Christianity. Government officers began to abuse him as the government does not allow people to do so. They use different methods to stop people such as verbal abuse, technology to block internet, monitoring people’s communication etc. He also introduced others to access the information. In fact, he did not have any idea to believe in something or to be involved in illegal groups. He just wanted the freedom to read whatever he wanted.

   ·He was threatened by warning and actual bodily harm. They forced him to stop his belief. They threatened his family that they would lose their jobs if he practised or introduced others. His family and friends were also abused. He cannot seek help from the government because he fears harm from them.

   [1] PDF – from p.26.

9. From the Department interview, the applicant was also recorded as claiming:

   ·He claimed he cannot return not China because he read many books on different religions and chose to follow Christianity. He introduced many friends to the religion and the department stopped him from doing this. They verbally harassed him and later physically harassed him, threatening to send him to a labour camp. He wants to stay in Australia because there is freedom of religion.

   ·He does not follow any particular denomination, just Christianity. He attended the local Christian church in [his town] but does not know the name of the church. He cannot remember the name of the minister there. He attended once a week if he had time.

   ·He claimed that he was attracted to Christianity after reading books, watching videos and news. After believing in Christianity he was able to relieve himself of troublesome things. He felt better after reading the Bible. After reading the Bible he talked to friends which caused harassment by government officials. His understanding of Christianity is that he feels good after believing Christianity. He made friends there and after church on Sundays his worries go away. At service the minister reads the Bible and everyone follows and reads the Bible at home. His interest in Christianity started in 2016 when he read books, watched videos. He read the Bible but cannot remember any particular story in the Bible. As he just started reading the Bible he cannot give any more information at the moment.

   ·Main belief of Christians are that Christians are just Christians; they read the Bible and attend church every week. He does not know anything else. Since 2016 after reading the Bible his worries disappeared so he became interested. He knows that God is the Lord on the cross.

   Assessing the applicant’s claims:

10. The applicant lodged a photocopy of the bio-data page of his Chinese passport with the Department (expiry date: XX 2027[2]). Based on this evidence, the Tribunal accepts the applicant is a citizen of China, and that China is his receiving country. However, the mere fact that an applicant claims to fear harm for a particular reason does not establish either the genuineness of the asserted fear or that it is ‘well-founded’ or that it is for the reason/s claimed. Further, the Tribunal is not required to accept uncritically any and all the allegations made by an applicant (Randhawa v MIEA (1994) 52 FCR 437, p.451).

    [2] PDF – p.9.

11. That being said, the applicant did not provide sufficient detail to satisfy the Tribunal (ie) that he was a Christian, nor that he was interested in Christianity (or that he had any related interest), and nor that he would be suspected or imputed of having any such interest should he return to China.

12. It remains for the applicant to satisfy the Tribunal that all of the statutory elements for the grant of protection are made out (MIEA v Guo & Anor (1997) 144 ALR 567 p.596); and although the concept of the onus of proof is not appropriate to administrative inquiries and decision making (Yao-Jing Li v MIMA (1997) 74 FCR 275 p.288), the relevant facts of the individual case will have to be supplied by the applicant themselves, in as much detail as is necessary to enable the decision maker to establish the facts. A decision maker is not required to make the applicant’s case for him or her (Prasad v MIEA (1985) 6 FCR 155 pp.169-70; Luu & Anor v Renevier (1989) 91 ALR 39 p.45). Importantly, and in relation to protection claims, it is ‘the responsibility of the non-citizen to specify all particulars of his or her claim to be such a person and to provide sufficient evidence to establish the claim’.[3] The Tribunal acknowledges that much of this guidance had been developed for the purposes of considering refugee protection claims, however, I am satisfied it is materially applicable to the assessment of complementary protection claims. 

    [3] See s.5AAA of the Act, ‘Non-citizen’s responsibility in relation to protection claims’.

13. That said, based on the claims he has provided, the Tribunal is not satisfied all the statutory elements for the grant of protection are made out. Accordingly, I do not accept the applicant has a well-founded fear of persecution for a reason prescribed in the Act; or 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.

14. Neither is there any issue, squarely raised by the evidence though not articulated, that has satisfied the Tribunal the applicant has a real chance of suffering serious or significant harm in China.  

    Finding:

15. For the reasons given above, the Tribunal is not satisfied the applicant is a person in respect of whom Australia has protection obligations under s.36(2)(a). Having concluded that the applicant does not meet the refugee criterion in s.36(2)(a), the Tribunal considered the alternative criterion in s.36(2)(aa). However, and for the same reasons, the Tribunal is not satisfied the applicant is a person in respect of whom Australia has protection obligations under s.36(2)(aa).

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

    DECISION

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

    Mr S Norman
    Member