1930236 (Refugee)

[2023] AATA 1247

1930236 (Refugee) [2023] AATA 1247 (14 March 2023)

DECISION RECORD

DIVISION:Migration & Refugee Division

CASE NUMBER:  1930236

COUNTRY OF REFERENCE:                   Malaysia

MEMBER:Genevieve Hamilton

DATE:14 March 2023

PLACE OF DECISION:  Melbourne

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

Statement made on 14 March 2023 at 12:13pm

CATCHWORDS
REFUGEE – protection visa – Malaysia – applicant left Australia – no response to tribunal’s invitation to comment – not necessary to consider substantive case – 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

1. This is an application for review of a decision made by a delegate of the Minister for Home Affairs on 14 October 2019 to refuse to grant the applicant a protection visa under s 65 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) (the Act). The applicant applied for the visa on 16 September 2019.

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

3. 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.

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. Movement records indicate that the applicant is not in Australia. It appears that he left Australia [in] October 2022. The Tribunal wrote to the applicant advising that its records showed that he is not in Australia and therefore could not be granted a protection visa and inviting the applicant to comment on the information. There was no response to the Tribunal’s letter.

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.

   Genevieve Hamilton
   Member