Delahunt (Migration)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) considered the matter of *Delahunt* concerning a visa application by a New Zealand citizen. The applicant sought review of a decision related to a Subclass 461 (New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship (Temporary)) visa. The core of the dispute revolved around the timely payment of the prescribed application fee.

The primary legal issue before the Tribunal was whether the prescribed fee for the visa application had been paid within the period stipulated by the relevant migration regulations. This question was critical because the Tribunal's jurisdiction to hear the application for review was contingent upon the application being validly made, which included the timely payment of all required fees.

The Tribunal found that a partial payment of the prescribed fee was only received on 10 February 2022, which was after the expiry of the prescribed period for payment. Consequently, the Tribunal determined that the application for review was not a valid application. As a result, the Tribunal concluded that it lacked jurisdiction to consider the merits of the applicant's case.