AlKanj and Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs (Citizenship)

The applicant, AlKanj, sought Australian citizenship by conferral, but this was refused by the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs. The applicant sought judicial review of this decision in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

The primary legal issue before the Tribunal was whether the applicant was of good character for the purposes of paragraph 21(2)(h) of the *Australian Citizenship Act 2007* (Cth). This required the Tribunal to consider the applicant's criminal history, which included convictions for domestic violence and multiple traffic offences, in light of the relevant law and policy.

The Tribunal found that while the applicant made positive contributions to the Australian community through his business, he had failed to provide evidence of any treatment received for his mental health issues, which he had identified as a contributing factor to his offending conduct. Consequently, the Tribunal concluded that the applicant did not satisfy the good character requirement. The decision under review, which refused the application for citizenship, was affirmed. The applicant was advised that he could make a fresh application in the future.