Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT)

The AAT carries out a merits review of administrative decisions taken under the Commonwealth rules. The tribunal examines decisions taken by Australian government ministers, departments, and agencies. Additionally, they also review the decisions of state governments and non-government organizations in certain circumstances. The AAT also looks at decisions taken under the laws of Norfolk Island.

Talking about the creation of AAT, it was created by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act of 1975. The actual operations of AAT began on July 1, 1976. On July 1, 2015, the Migration Review Tribunal, Refugee Review Tribunal, and Social Security Appeals Tribunal were merged into the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

Likewise, the Attorney- General’s office is in charge of the AAT. So, the media releases and announcements related to the AAT come from the Attorney-General.

Australian Visa Refusal Reasons

While following may not be the exhaustive list for Visa Refusal, here are some of them depending on your case:

Application for a wrong type of visa
Failure in proving the financial capacity
Submission of incomplete or false information
Sponsor of the applicant failed to meet the requirements
Unawareness of the course applied for
No relevancy of the applied course with the current qualifications or experience.
Failure in providing concrete future plans
Miscalculation in Points
Bogus Documents

In majority cases, you may be eligible to approach Administrative Appeal Tribunal-AAT for review of your application.

There is a TIME LIMIT!

When you are applying for an appeal, you must lodge the application for review within the timeframe specified in the notification letter of decision. There may also be an additional application fees for the appeal application.

What is the time period for processing of the appeal?

The processing time may again vary depending upon the case category. However, generally the durations are long ranging anywhere around 12 to 18 months.

It is only in special cases where you may request for an assessment on priority basis.

What can be the outcomes?

These are the possible outcomes.

Affirm:Means AAT agrees with the department’s decision to refuse or cancel your visa. The decision made by the department is not changed. Hence, the refusal stands.

Vary:Means AAT disagrees with the decision of the department to refuse or cancel your visa and resends your application with new instructions and recommendation. Your application will be then forwarded to the Department of Immigration for further assessment.

Is there any other chance if my appeal failed at AAT?

If the outcome of AAT review is ‘Affirm’, then you have 2 options further:

Application to Federal Court: This can be done in strictly limited cases where there is some Legal Error in the decision by AAT.

Application for Ministerial intervention: You can write a request to the minister for his personal discretion to grant you visa by providing some potent reasons. The number of requests that are successful is less. But, in general if the Minister intervenes then the decision is positive.

How can MAP Education and Visa Services help?

Applying for a review is a critical and complex procedure—your final opportunity to have the facts of your case assessed.

At MAP Education and Visa Services, our team of registered MARA Agents possesses extensive knowledge and legal prowess. We skillfully research applicable law, prepare documents, and compile case files. Having managed a myriad of cases, we have developed deep subject-matter expertise, enabling us to clearly outline the likelihood of success, identify potential issues, and suggest better alternatives.

We understand the crucial nature of your situation and dedicate the necessary time and extensive research to build a strong appeal!

We strongly advise you to contact our team immediately. We can promptly assist you in preparing an appeal against your Australian visa refusal or cancellation.

AAT-MRT