2209207 (Refugee)

[2024] AATA 1843

2209207 (Refugee) [2024] AATA 1843 (29 May 2024)

DECISION RECORD

DIVISION:Migration & Refugee Division

CASE NUMBER:  2209207

COUNTRY OF REFERENCE:                   Papua New Guinea

MEMBER:Kate Chapple

DATE:29 May 2024

PLACE OF DECISION:  Brisbane

DECISION:The Tribunal affirms the decision not to grant the applicants protection visas.

Statement made on 29 May 2024 at 11:20am

CATCHWORDS

REFUGEE – Protection visa – Papua New Guinea – applicants not in Australia – outside of migration zone – decision under review affirmed

LEGISLATION

Migration Act 1958, 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

APPLICATION FOR REVIEW

1. This is an application for review of decisions made by a delegate of the Minister for Home Affairs on 31 May 2022 to refuse to grant the applicants protection visas under s 65 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) (the Act). The applicants, who claim to be citizens of Papua New Guinea, applied for the visas on 22 January 2020.

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.

5. Movement records indicate that the applicants are not in Australia. It appears that they left Australia on [date] October 2023. The Tribunal wrote to the applicants on 1 May 2024 advising that its records showed that they are not in Australia and therefore could not be granted protection visas and inviting the applicants to comment on or respond to the information by 15 May 2024. The applicants did not respond in any manner to the Tribunal’s invitation.

6. The Tribunal is satisfied from the circumstances set out above that the applicants are not in Australia. Therefore, the applicants do not satisfy the requirements of s 36(2) and cannot be granted protection visas.

7. Having reached this conclusion, it is not necessary to consider the applicants' substantive case for the grant of the visa.

   DECISION

8. The Tribunal affirms the decision not to grant the applicants protection visas.

   Kate Chapple
   Member