Gunawan (Migration)

[2019] AATA 4014

Gunawan (Migration) [2019] AATA 4014 (12 September 2019)

DECISION RECORD

DIVISION:Migration & Refugee Division

APPLICANT:  Mr Edi Gunawan

CASE NUMBER:  1715678

HOME AFFAIRS REFERENCE(S):           BCC2017/1831728

MEMBER:Peter Booth

DATE:12 September 2019

PLACE OF DECISION:  Sydney

DECISION:The Tribunal affirms the decision not to grant the applicant a Student (Temporary) (Class TU) visa.

Statement made on 12 September 2019 at 4:22pm

CATCHWORDS

MIGRATION – Student (Temporary) (Class TU) visa – Subclass 500 (Student) – no response to s 359(2) invitation – not entitled to appear before the Tribunal – genuine temporary entrant – enrolment status – no evidence of enrolment at time of decision – decision under review affirmed

LEGISLATION
Migration Act 1958 (Cth), ss 65, 359, 359C, 360, 363A
Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), Schedule 2, cls 500.211, 500.212

CASES
Hasran v MIAC [2010] FCAFC 40

STATEMENT OF DECISION AND REASONS

APPLICATION FOR REVIEW

1. This is an application for review of a decision made by a delegate of the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection on 18 July 2017 to refuse to grant the applicant a Student (Temporary) (Class TU) visa under s.65 of the Migration Act 1958 (the Act).

2. The applicant applied for the visa on 23 May 2017. At the time of application, Class TU contained two subclasses: Subclass 500 (Student) and Subclass 590 (Student Guardian). The applicant applied for the visa to undertake study in Australia and does not claim to meet the criteria for a Subclass 590 (Student Guardian) visa.

3. The delegate in this case refused to grant the visa on the basis that the applicant did not satisfy the requirements of cl.500.212 of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 (the Regulations) because the applicant was not a genuine temporary entrant.

4. The applicant was assisted in relation to the review.

5. On 11January 2019 the Tribunal wrote to the applicant pursuant to s.359(2) of the Act, inviting the applicant to provide information about  the review application in writing. The invitation was sent to the applicant’s registered migration agent and advised that, if the information was not provided in writing by the prescribed period, being 25 January 2019 , or within any extended time as requested and granted, the Tribunal may make a decision on the review without taking further steps to obtain the information and the applicant would lose any entitlement they might otherwise have had under the Act to appear before the Tribunal to give evidence and present arguments.

6. The review applicant did not provide the information within the prescribed period and no extension of time was requested. In these circumstances, s.359C applies and pursuant to s.360(3) the review applicant is not entitled to appear before the Tribunal. The effect of s.363A of the Act is that if a review applicant has no entitlement to a hearing, the Tribunal has no power to permit him or her to appear: Hasran v MIAC [2010] FCAFC 40. The Tribunal has decided to proceed to a decision without taking further steps to obtain the information.

7. For the following reasons, the Tribunal has concluded that the decision under review should be affirmed.

   CONSIDERATION OF CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE

8. The criteria for a Subclass 500 (Student) visa are set out in Part 500 of Schedule 2 to the Regulations. The primary criteria in cl.500.211 to cl.500.218 must be satisfied by at least one applicant. Other members of the family unit, if any, who are applicants for the visa need only satisfy the secondary criteria. The issue in the present case is whether the applicant is currently enrolled in a registered course of study.

9. Clause 500.211 relevantly requires that at the time of this decision the applicant is enrolled in a course of study: cl.500.211 (a). The applicant does not claim to meet any of the alternative criteria in cl.500.211.

10. ‘Course of study’ is relevantly defined in cl.500.111 of the Regulations as a ‘full-time registered course’. ‘Registered course’ is defined in r.1.03 of the Regulations as a course of education or training provided by an institution, body or person that is registered, under Division 3 of Part 2 of the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000, to provide the course to overseas students.

11. The applicant has not provided any proof of enrolment to the Tribunal. This is a critical matter which the applicant needs to prove to the satisfaction of the Tribunal in order to succeed. A perusal of the Department file discloses that the applicant stated the he held a Confirmation of Enrolment document (COE) in two courses designated “8C800181” and “8C801053”. However, no such documents are to be found on the Department file. The decision record, refusing his visa application is dated 18 July 2017. That decision observes that the applicant had provided two COEs in relation to a Diploma of Marketing and Communication, and an Advanced Diploma of Marketing and Communication course at Macquarie Education Group Australia Pty Ltd. The courses are designated “8C800181” and “8D79BE73”. The Tribunal observes in passing, that one course is different from that identified by the applicant. There is no explanation of this in the Department file. In any event, such courses are likely to have been long concluded, regardless of whether the applicant precipitated and completed either of them. Accordingly, there is no document which evidences any current enrolment. Further the available evidence suggests that any previous COE is likely to be in respect of a concluded course. Therefore, the Tribunal is not satisfied that at the time of this decision, the applicant is enrolled in a course of study and accordingly cl.500.211 is not met.

12. Given the above findings, the Tribunal finds that the criteria for the grant of a Subclass 500 (Student) visa are not met. The applicant does not claim to meet the criteria for a Subclass 590 (Student Guardian) visa. Accordingly, the decision under review must be affirmed.

    DECISION

13. The Tribunal affirms the decision not to grant the applicant a Student (Temporary) (Class TU) visa.

    Peter Booth
    Member