Visa refused or cancelled? You may be able to appeal at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), but deadlines are strict and short. Brisbane registered agents. Call now.
If your visa has been refused or cancelled, you often still have options, but you have to move fast. Most refusal and cancellation decisions can be reviewed at the Administrative Review Tribunal, and the deadline to lodge is strict and short. Miss it and the right to review is usually gone for good. Our registered migration agents in Brisbane handle refusals and appeals, and the first thing we do is protect your deadline. If you’re holding a refusal letter, read it for the review timeframe, then call us.
Australia’s merits review body changed in 2024. The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) was replaced by the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). If you’ve heard people talk about an “AAT appeal”, that’s the same idea, just under the new name. Reviews of visa refusals and cancellations that used to go to the AAT now go to the ART.
When people say they want to “appeal” a visa refusal, what they usually need is merits review at the ART. That means the Tribunal looks at your case afresh and decides whether the correct decision is to grant the visa or affirm the refusal. It can consider new information and hear from you directly. It’s not the same as arguing the department broke the law in a court, which is a separate and narrower process. For most people, ART review is the practical path, and it’s the one we deal with day in and day out.
This is the single most important thing on this page. The time you have to lodge a review is set by law, it’s short, and it depends on the type of decision and where you are. It can be a matter of days in some situations. Tribunals have very limited power to accept a late application, so a missed deadline usually ends the matter.
The clock generally starts when the decision is taken to have been received, not when you get around to reading it. That’s why we tell people not to wait, not to “sleep on it”, and not to spend a week getting quotes. Come to us straight away with the letter, and we’ll work out your exact deadline first, before anything else.
Many, though not all, visa decisions can be reviewed. Common matters we help with include:
Refused partner and family visas, where the evidence was found to be thin. See our Partner Visa page.
Refused skilled, work and student visas.
Visa cancellations, including cancellations while you’re onshore.
Nomination and sponsorship refusals affecting employer-sponsored applicants.
Complex refusals involving character, health, or a bar on further applications. See our Complex Case Services.
Not every decision carries review rights, and who can apply and on what timeframe varies. Working that out correctly is part of the job, and getting it wrong wastes the very time you don’t have.
Your refusal or cancellation letter is the most important document you have right now. It should tell you why the decision was made, whether you have review rights, where to apply, and by when. Don’t skim it. Bring it to us exactly as you received it, including the envelope or email details, because how and when it was communicated can affect your deadline. If English isn’t your first language, don’t guess at what it says. Let us go through it with you.
If you apply for review while you’re in Australia, you’ll usually be able to get a bridging visa that keeps you lawful while the ART considers your case. Staying lawful matters, because it affects your rights and your future options. We arrange this as part of taking on your appeal, so there’s no gap where you’re left unlawful. Our Bridging Visa page explains how it works.
We protect your deadline first. We read the letter, confirm your review rights, and work out the exact date you must lodge by.
We work out why it was refused. A refusal is a diagnosis. We identify what went wrong, whether it was missing evidence, a misunderstanding, or a genuine legal problem.
We tell you honestly where you stand. Some refusals are very reviewable. Others aren’t worth the cost and stress, and we’ll say so.
We lodge the review and build the case. We prepare your submissions and evidence, and represent you through the ART process, including any hearing.
We keep you lawful and informed. We manage your bridging visa and keep you updated, so you’re never left wondering what’s happening.
We act fast to protect a short review deadline.
We read and explain your refusal or cancellation letter properly.
We assess honestly whether review is worth pursuing in your case.
We lodge the ART application and prepare the evidence and submissions.
We handle bridging visas and represent you through to the decision.
Often, yes, through merits review at the Administrative Review Tribunal, but only if your decision carries review rights and you lodge within the strict deadline. The first step is checking your refusal letter and confirming your rights and timeframe, which we can do quickly.
The Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) replaced the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) in 2024. It’s the body that conducts merits review of most visa refusal and cancellation decisions.
The deadline is set by law, it’s short, and it varies with the decision type and your circumstances. In some cases it’s only a matter of days. Because the Tribunal’s power to accept late applications is very limited, you should treat the deadline as immovable and act immediately.
Merits review at the ART looks at your case afresh and can decide the right outcome, including granting the visa. Court review is narrower and generally about whether the decision was made lawfully. For most visa refusals, ART merits review is the practical path.
Usually yes, on a bridging visa, if you apply for review while you’re onshore and lawful. We sort the bridging visa out as part of taking on your matter so you don’t fall unlawful.
There’s a Tribunal application fee, plus our professional fees, which depend on the complexity of your matter. You’ll get a clear, fixed quote at your consultation. [current figure — confirmed at consultation]
Yes. Some refusals have a strong chance on review and some don’t. We give you an honest assessment rather than take money for a case that can’t realistically succeed.
Your refusal or cancellation letter exactly as you received it, your passport and visa details, and any evidence relevant to the decision. If you’re near your deadline, call first so we can act before you even come in.
Possibly, but the options after a Tribunal decision are more limited and time-sensitive again. Contact us straight away so we can assess whether anything further is open to you.
