2302339 (Refugee)

The applicant, a citizen of Fiji, sought a protection visa. The dispute before the Tribunal concerned whether the applicant met the criteria for the grant of such a visa.

The central legal issue was whether the applicant satisfied the requirement under section 36(2) of the *Migration Act 1958* (Cth) that they be a non-citizen *in Australia* at the time of the decision.

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 November 2023. The Tribunal notified the applicant of this information and invited comment, but no response was received. Consequently, the Tribunal was satisfied that the applicant was not in Australia and therefore did not meet the criterion under section 36(2) of the Act. As this threshold criterion was not met, the Tribunal found it 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.