AAT Affirmed Decision Not to Revoke Mandatory Visa Cancellation Despite Substantial Criminal Record

The AAT affirmed a decision of the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs (the Department) not to revoke the mandatory cancellation of the Applicant’s spouse visa.

The Applicant migrated to Australia from Nigeria in 2007 as a 30-year-old. He was arrested three years later and served the nine-year non-parole period of his sentence before entering immigration detention in late 2019.

The applicant’s visa was cancelled on character grounds because he had a substantial criminal record and was serving a sentence of imprisonment. This was a mandatory cancellation by the Department after the applicant was sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to possess a commercial quantity of methamphetamine.

The applicant requested revocation of the cancellation of the visa and that request has been refused by the Department. The applicant then applied for a merits review in the AAT of the decision.

The AAT is required to consider the matters set out in Ministerial Direction no. 79 (the Ministerial Direction) which include

  1. protection of the Australian community from criminal or other serious conduct，

  2. the best interests of minor children in Australia，and

  3. the expectations of the Australian community (primary considerations).

 The Tribunal must also consider other factors, such as our international non-refoulement obligation and the strength, nature and length of a person’s ties to Australia (other considerations).

In deciding whether to revoke the decision, the AAT found the very serious nature of the applicant’s offence, along with the harm methamphetamine causes in the Australian community weighed heavily against him. The Tribunal considered the impact his removal from Australia would have on his 13-year-old daughter and his wife as they would be indefinitely separated from him, and the difficulties he could face re-settling in Nigeria. However, these matters were not enough to justify revoking the cancellation of his visa. Therefore, the Tribunal cannot exercise the discretion to revoke the cancellation of the applicant’s visa.

How Can Agape Henry Crux Help

At Agape Henry Crux, our Accredited Specialists Immigration Lawyer and our team of immigration lawyers and migration agents are well trained to handle highly complex matters.  You can book one of our lawyers or agents to seek professional advice by calling 02-72002700 or email us to book in a time at info@ahclawyers.com.

We speak fluent English, Korean, Burmese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian, and Malay. If these aren’t your language, we can also help you arrange an interpreter.

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