Case Law Updates

Federal Circuit Court. Did the Tribunal have a discretion to hold a hearing by telephone? If so, must that discretion be exercised reasonably? If so, what are the factors relevant to determining whether the exercise was reasonable?

Federal Circuit Court. Section 5F(1)(b) of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) provided that the prospective partner visa applicant and her sponsor must "have a mutual commitment to a shared life as husband and wife to the exclusion of all others". Did s 5F(1)(b) require the visa applicant and sponsor to manifest an affection for each other?

Federal Circuit Court. Clause 485.212(a)(ii) required the visa application to be accompanied by evidence that the applicant "has achieved, within the period specified by the Minister in the instrument, the score specified ... in the instrument". Clause 4 of IMMI 15/062 specified for cl 485.212(a)(ii) that the test "must have been undertaken within the three years before the day on which the application was made". Did a test undertaken before the 3-year timeframe but whose result was achieved within that timeframe satisfy cl 485.212(a)(ii)?

Federal Court (Full Court). Can the Tribunal depart from convergent obiter dicta from both the Full Court and a single judge of the Federal Court? Section 501(7)(c) of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) provided that a person has a substantial criminal record if the person has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 12 months or more. Did 501(7)(c) apply to sentences of imprisonment imposed by a foreign court?

Federal Court (Full Court). Should a tribunal of fact "be hesitant about reaching its own conclusions about a person’s state of mind where there is expert evidence on the subject"? Is the Tribunal bound by opinions expressed by experts? Was the Tribunal required to refer in its reasons to every matter to which the expert psychologist had regard?

Federal Court. While the AAT was required to treat offending of the type described under cl 13.1.1(1)(a)-(b) of Direction 79 as “very serious”, did it remain for it to allocate weight in respect of such offending relative to all other relevant considerations under s 501CA(4)(b)(ii) of the Migration Act? Are cl 13.1.1(1)(b) and (d) ultra vires s 499 of the Act to the extent that they "required the Tribunal to proceed upon the basis that crimes of a violent nature against women or children are to viewed very seriously, regardless of the sentence imposed"?

Federal Circuit Court. Can a protection visa applicant "fear a particular type of harm for the purposes of the refugee convention and complementary protection without having ever experienced that particular type of harm in the past"? Is the IAA "obliged to consider a claim that is expressly and clearly made, even if there is no country information to support that claim"?

Federal Court (Full Court). Can it be said that "the material the subject of the second certificate did not have the quality of confidence required by s 376 due to an “iniquity” arising from emails sent by [the Appellant's] wife to the Minister"? Was s 376(1)(b) of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) such that "the relevant quality of confidence attaches to the information at the point the information is given"?

Federal Court (Full Court). If the decision-maker assesses cl 500.212(a) of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) as not satisfied, is it required to consider whether cll 500.212(b) or (c) are satisfied?

Federal Court (Full Court). Is the content of any statutory obligation to give reasons for a decision "relevant to the question of what, if any, inferences may be drawn from a decision-maker’s statement of reasons vis a vis the apparent absence of any reference to, or findings on, particular claims or evidence"?