Appeal to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART)
An Australian Visa refusal can be devastating for everyone involved and can put your future in Australia in immediate jeopardy and uncertainty. However, your visa refusal does not necessarily mean it is the end of your pathway to Australia.
What can you do about a visa refusal in Australia?
If you have received a visa refusal, your immediate concern is to ask whether the Department of Home Affairs made the right decision. We know from experience that the Department makes errors all the time in their decision-making procedures, especially when there is subjective or discretionary criteria involved.
You may have appeal rights if you have a visa refusal based on:
- Genuine Temporary Entrant criteria for Visitor Visa
- Genuine Student for Student Visa
- A genuine need for a nomination in an employment visa
- Not meeting the criteria of a Partner Visa refusal
- Not meeting the criteria of another family visa application, such as a Parent Visa
- Visa Cancellations
- Incorrect interpretation of the visa criteria for General Skilled Visa; or
- Documents that were overlooked by the Department.
The Department does not always make the correct decision which is why there is a review body, known as the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) to look at your visa application independently from the Department's perspective and decide whether the visa ought to have been granted.
What time frames does the ART have?
If you appeal a refusal or a cancellation of a visa you may be required to present your argument to the Tribunal in a few months or more. Your matter is important to you, but the ART has a long list of applicants (who are also appealing a refusal or cancellation visa) and so the time frame may extend out to about 2 years. Since the ART came into place on 14 October 2024, it is looking to process review applications more efficiently. During the time your appeal is processing, you will be holding a Bridging Visa to keep you lawful in Australia, usually with work rights.
Click here for the latest ART processing times.
What if your Visa Refusal was outside of Australia?
If you receive a visa refusal outside of Australia, there are limited options depending on the type of visa you applied for.
Usually, Partner visas or other sponsored visas, such as employer-sponsored visas, can be appealed by the Sponsor in Australia.
Do you need legal assistance with an ART appeal? How can Work Visa Lawyers help?
You do not have to have a Lawyer or a Registered Migration Agent (RMA) to lodge a review and to appear before the ART. But you may benefit from the experience of an Immigration Lawyer and RMA.
We know from our experience that it is not easy to convince a Tribunal member that your visa application meets the criteria, but we have been successful on many occasions even when the odds seemed slim!
Work Visa Lawyers will provide you with sound advice as to your prospects of success in overcoming the challenge of convincing the Tribunal that you should be granted the visa.
We assist you with:
- Understanding what the Tribunal is looking for;
- Preparing you for the hearing;
- Obtaining additional supporting information to improve your chances of success at the Tribunal;
- Attend the hearing with you to ensure that the hearing is conducted fairly; and
- Provide pre and post written submissions to clearly show the Tribunal why the Department was incorrect and why your visa should not have been refused.
What if the ART makes the wrong decision?
It is possible that the Tribunal makes the wrong decision because the Migration Act and Regulations are constantly changing! This means there can be a lot of confusion which can lead to errors.
If you believe the Tribunal has made the wrong decision you should seek legal advice from Work Visa Lawyers to determine whether you have the option to appeal the decision to the Federal Circuit Court. In the Federal Circuit Court, you need to demonstrate that there has been an error which is known as a 'jurisdictional error'.
Only lawyers can assist you with your application to the Federal Circuit Court. Here at Work Visa Lawyers, we have a wealth of experience in advising clients whether the Tribunal has made a jurisdictional error. Our team of Immigration Lawyers are committed to getting positive outcomes for our clients.
What are your other options after an unsuccessful ART appeal?
You may have other options including:
- After having appealed to the ART, you can request for Ministerial Intervention.
- Consider if there are other visas that you can apply for, including skilled points-based visas(189, 190 and 491 visas), or employer sponsored visas, or a partner visa.
Due to a visa refusal you may be section 48 barred, meaning you may need to go offshore to lodge the visa application.
Do you need help?
Our team of experienced Immigration Lawyers and Migration Agents look forward to assisting you with your visa appeal.
Based in Adelaide South Australia, we provide Australian Immigration advice to people and businesses from all over the world.
If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:
(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
