Josiah and Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs (Citizenship)

This matter concerned an application for Australian citizenship by the Applicant, whose country of birth is Liberia. The delegate of the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs was not satisfied of the Applicant's identity, a decision subsequently affirmed by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. The Tribunal was required to determine whether it was satisfied of the Applicant's identity for the purposes of section 24(3) of the *Australian Citizenship Act 2007* (Cth).

The Tribunal's reasoning focused on the assessment of the Applicant's identity through an evidence-based approach, considering the three pillars of identity: biometrics, documents, and life story. The Tribunal noted the absence of biometric data from the Applicant's life prior to his arrival in Australia, and a significant lack of documentary evidence from that period, with the exception of a travel document issued to his grandmother. Consequently, the Applicant's life story assumed greater prominence in establishing his identity. However, the Tribunal found inconsistencies in the Applicant's claims regarding his family overseas and the timeline of his care arrangements.

The Tribunal highlighted that the Applicant's grandmother's 2010 application and accompanying narrative made no mention of the Applicant or his sister being in her care. The first mention of the Applicant and his sister appeared in a 2012 application, and later in an interview where it was stated they had been in their grandmother's care since their parents died at a young age. The Tribunal also noted a comment from an interviewer suggesting the Applicant's uncle's story may have been embellished. Given the lack of biometric data and documents, and the significant unexplained inconsistencies in his life story, the Tribunal was not satisfied of the Applicant's identity. The Tribunal affirmed the delegate's decision.