Jayamanna Mohottilage Dona (Migration) - [2021] AATA 2149

Jayamanna Mohottilage Dona (Migration) [2021] AATA 2149 (30 March 2021)
DECISION RECORD
DIVISION:Migration & Refugee Division
APPLICANTS:  Mrs Iranga Jayamanna Jayamanna Mohottilage Dona
Mr Nuranjith Saseen Jayasinghe Walpola Pathirannehelage
Mr Leon Jayasinghe
Miss Leana Jayasinghe
CASE NUMBER:  1920591
HOME AFFAIRS REFERENCE(S):         BCC2018/5745165
MEMBER:D Triaca
DATE:30 March 2021
PLACE OF DECISION:  Melbourne
DECISION:The Tribunal affirms the decisions not to grant the applicants Student (Temporary) (Class TU) visas.

Statement made on 30 March 2021 at 11:49am

CATCHWORDS
MIGRATION –Student (Temporary) (Class TU) visa – subclass 500 (Student) visa–– genuine temporary entrant criterion – applicant’s proposed further study does not offer any real value to her future – decision under review affirmed
LEGISLATION
Migration Act 1958, ss 65, 499
Migration Regulations 1994, r 1.03, Schedule 2, cl 500.212
CASES
Kumar v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (2020) FCAFC 16
STATEMENT OF DECISION AND REASONS
APPLICATION FOR REVIEW

This is an application for review of a decision made by a delegate of the Minister for Home Affairs on 11 July 2019 to refuse to grant the applicants Student (Temporary) (Class TU) visas under s.65 of the Migration Act 1958 (the Act).
The applicants applied for the visas on 20 December 2018. At the time of application, Class TU contained two subclasses: Subclass 500 (Student) and Subclass 590 (Student Guardian). The primary visa applicant (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.
The delegate in this case refused to grant the visas 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).
The applicants appeared before the Tribunal on 29 March 2021 to give evidence and present arguments. The Tribunal hearing was conducted with the assistance of an interpreter in the Sinhala and English languages.
For the following reasons, the Tribunal has concluded that the decision under review should be affirmed.
CONSIDERATION OF CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE
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.
Genuine applicant for entry and stay as a student (cl.500.212)
Clause 500.212 requires as follows:
The applicant is a genuine applicant for entry and stay as a student because:
(a)the applicant intends genuinely to stay in Australia temporarily, having regard to:
(i)the applicant’s circumstances; and
(ii)the applicant’s immigration history; and
(iii)if the applicant is a minor—the intentions of a parent, legal guardian or spouse of the applicant; and
(iv)any other relevant matter; and
(b)the applicant intends to comply with any conditions subject to which the visa is granted, having regard to:
(i)the applicant’s record of compliance with any condition of a visa previously held by the…

Grounds of appeal

[14] The appellant contends that the primary judge erred in finding that the respondent had discharged the onus of establishing the matters required under the relevant provision.

[15] It was submitted that his Honour failed to give adequate weight to the evidence of the second witness, and that the findings of fact were not reasonably open on the material before the Court.

[16] The respondent, for its part, submits that no error is disclosed, and that the conclusions reached were well within the range of outcomes available to the primary judge.

Consideration

[17] It is convenient to deal first with the question of construction, as the resolution of that issue informs the remaining grounds advanced by the appellant.

[18] For the reasons that follow, we are of the view that the appeal should be allowed in part and the matter remitted for further determination.

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Details

Case: [2021] AATA 2149
Decision Date: 30 March 2021

CaseChat Overview and Summary

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal considered an appeal by Jayamanna Mohottilage Dona against a decision to refuse her application for a Subclass 500 (Student) visa. The primary issue before the Tribunal was whether Ms. Dona satisfied the genuine temporary entrant criterion as required by clause 500.212 of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994.

The Tribunal was required to determine if Ms. Dona genuinely intended to stay in Australia temporarily and if she intended to comply with the conditions of the visa. In assessing these matters, the Tribunal was bound to have regard to Direction No. 69, which outlines specific factors to consider when evaluating the genuine temporary entrant criterion for student visas. These factors include the applicant's circumstances in their home country and in Australia, the value of the proposed course to the applicant's future, their immigration history, and any other relevant information.

The Tribunal reasoned that while the factors in Direction No. 69 are intended to guide decision-makers, they should not be applied as a rigid checklist. Instead, they are to be considered holistically to form an overall assessment of the applicant's genuineness. In this instance, the Tribunal found that Ms. Dona's proposed further study did not offer any real value to her future, leading to the conclusion that she did not satisfy the genuine temporary entrant criterion.

Consequently, the Tribunal affirmed the decision under review, meaning Ms. Dona's application for the Subclass 500 (Student) visa was not granted.

Orders

Orders of the court

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Background

Background to the litigation

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Evidence

Evidence Before The Court

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Decision

Reasons for decision

For the following reasons, the Tribunal has concluded that the decision under review should be affirmed.CONSIDERATION OF CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE 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. Genuine applicant for entry and stay as a student (cl.500.212) Clause 500.212 requires as follows:The applicant is a genuine applicant for entry and stay as a student because:(a)the applicant intends genuinely to stay in Australia temporarily, having regard to:(i)the applicant’s circumstances; and(ii)the applicant’s immigration history; and(iii)if the applicant is a minor—the intentions of a parent, legal guardian or spouse of the applicant; and(iv)any other relevant matter; and(b)the applicant intends to comply with any conditions subject to which the visa is granted, having regard to:(i)the applicant’s record of compliance with any condition of a visa previously held by the applicant (if any); and(ii)the applicant’s stated intention to comply with any conditions to which the visa may be subject; and(c)of any other relevant matter.Does the applicant intend genuinely to stay in Australia temporarily? In considering whether the applicant satisfies cl.500.212(a), the Tribunal must have regard to Direction No.69, ‘Assessing the genuine temporary entrant criterion for Student visa and Student Guardian visa applications’, made under s.499 of the Act. This Direction, which is attached to this decision, requires the Tribunal to have regard to a number of specified factors in relation to:·the applicant’s circumstances in their home country, potential circumstances in Australia, and the value of the course to the applicant’s future;·the applicant’s immigration history, including previous applications for an Australian visa or for visas to other countries, and previous travel to Australia or other countries;·if the applicant is a minor, the intentions of a parent, legal guardian or spouse of the applicant; and·any other relevant information provided by the applicant, or information otherwise available to the decision maker, including information that may be either beneficial or unfavourable to the applicant. The Direction indicates that the factors specified should not be used as a checklist but rather, are intended only to guide decision makers when considering the applicant’s circumstances as a whole, in reaching a finding about whether the applicant satisfies the genuine temporary entrant criterion. This is made plain from the following statement of Logan J in Kumar v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (2020) FCAFC 16 at [4], ‘Of course the Minister’s directions were a relevant consideration. How could it be otherwise in light of s 499 of the Act? But they were guidelines. Reading them as a whole, the Minister did not purport to elevate them beyond that, only to offer guidance to the end of consistency in public administration. Moreover, as Derrington and Thawley JJ explain, the Minister explicitly counselled against a mechanical, “checklist” approach. He recognised that factors might not be all one way; hence his reference to, “on balance”. All this was done in respect of a visa eligibility for which has as a criterion a subject which inherently involves, “a matter of opinion or policy or taste” in terms of satisfaction as to whether an applicant is a genuine student.’

Ratio Decidendi

Legal Principle Established

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