2205407 (Refugee)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal considered an application for a protection visa by a citizen of Fiji. The applicant had left Australia, and the decision under review was the refusal to grant the visa.

The primary legal issue before the Tribunal was whether the applicant met the criterion for a protection visa that they must be a non-citizen in Australia. This criterion is stipulated by section 36(2) of the relevant Act.

The Tribunal reasoned that a protection visa can only be granted if the applicant is physically present in Australia. Movement records indicated that the applicant had departed Australia in July 2023. The Tribunal notified the applicant of this information and invited a response, but no response was received. Consequently, the Tribunal was satisfied that the applicant was not in Australia, and therefore did not meet the essential criterion for the grant of a protection visa. The Tribunal concluded that it was unnecessary to consider the substantive grounds of the applicant's protection claim.

The Tribunal affirmed the decision not to grant the applicant a protection visa.