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Visa Refusals
If your visa application
has been refused, you may be able to have that decision reviewed at a
relevant tribunal.
There are 3 tribunals in Australia that review decisions, namely the
Migration Review Tribunal, the Refugee Review Tribunal and the
Administrative Appeals Tribunal. These tribunals are able to either
remit a decision back to the Department for reconsideration with a
direction that an applicant meets certain criteria, or set aside a
decision of the Department and substitute a different decision in its
place.
Strict time limits apply to all review applications, so it is very
important that you lodge an application for review within the relevant
time frame. You should contact us as soon as possible after being
notified for advice on your options.
Migration Review Tribunal (‘MRT’) & Refugee Review Tribunal (‘RRT’)
The MRT reviews a range of visa refusals except for Protection Visa
refusals, which are reviewed by the Refugee Review Tribunal (‘RRT’).
Both the MRT and the RRT will look at your case as if it were a fresh
application, and will look at all the evidence that you presented to the
Department as well as any other evidence that you provide directly to
the tribunals. The tribunals can also carry out its own investigations
into your matter.
It is likely that you will have to attend a hearing before the MRT or
RRT. This is an opportunity for the Tribunal Member to ask you any
questions that they may have in relation to your matter.
MRT reviews cost $1400, and this fee will be refunded to you if the MRT
makes a decision in your favour. There is no fee for an RRT review;
however, if the RRT does not make a decision in your favour, you will
have to pay $1400.
Administrative
Appeals Tribunal (‘AAT’)
If you are in Australia and your visa has been cancelled or refused on
character grounds by the Department, you may have a right to review that
decision at the AAT. If you are outside Australia and your visa
application has been refused on character grounds you may have the right
to review the decision at the AAT. Please note that eligibility for
review of a visa refusal or cancellation on character grounds at the AAT
depends on the particular visa held, or applied for.
You will have a hearing before the AAT which will be attended by a
representative of the Department. Hearings at the AAT are generally very
formal and more like court proceedings than MRT and RRT hearings.
Review
Of A Visa Refusal Or Cancellation By A Court
If you have had a negative decision at the MRT, RRT or AAT, and there
has been an error in the way the tribunal applied the relevant law in
reaching a decision in your case, you may be able to seek review of that
error of law at an appropriate court, such as the Federal Magistrates
Court.
Strict time limits apply for anyone seeking review at a court, so you
should contact us as soon as possible after receiving the decision from
the relevant tribunal and we can discuss your options further.
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