2119840 (Refugee)

[2024] AATA 1479

2119840 (Refugee) [2024] AATA 1479 (29 May 2024)

DECISION RECORD

DIVISION:Migration & Refugee Division

CASE NUMBER:  2119840

COUNTRY OF REFERENCE:                   China

MEMBER:Stefanie Memmott

DATE:29 May 2024

PLACE OF DECISION:  Sydney

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

Statement made on 29 May 2024 at 9:52am

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

LEGISLATION
Migration Act 1958 (Cth), ss 36, 65, 424A, 424C, 425

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 Home Affairs on 22 December 2021 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 18 November 2019.

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) 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.

   Movement records indicate that the applicant is not in Australia. It appears that she left Australia [in] November 2023. The Tribunal wrote to the applicant 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. This invitation, issued in accordance with s 424A of the Act, was dispatched to the last email notified to the Tribunal by the applicant in connection with the review. No response was received within the prescribed period.

5. The Tribunal has determined, in the circumstances, to proceed to make a decision without taking any further action to obtain the applicant’s views on the information and without inviting her to appear before it (per ss 424C(2) and 425(2)(c) of the Act).

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.

   Stefanie Memmott
   Member