Migration Division · Stream 06
Strategic representation when a visa is refused, cancelled or under reconsideration — at every level of review.
REVIEWS & APPEALS STREAM
A visa refusal or cancellation is not always final. Australia’s review system gives most applicants a right to have a department decision independently re-examined — first by the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART, which replaced the AAT in October 2024), then in some cases by the Federal Court, and ultimately, in extraordinary circumstances, by the Minister for Immigration.
Strict statutory deadlines apply — often 21, 28 or 35 days. CGG MET handles end-to-end review and appeal work, from rapid lodgement through hearing representation. Our principal agent has appeared in tribunal matters since 2007.
Tribunal review, ministerial intervention, court appeals, character and cancellation responses.
5 review & representation services
The Administrative Review Tribunal — which replaced the AAT in October 2024 — independently reviews most refused or cancelled visa decisions. The Tribunal can affirm the original decision, vary it, set it aside and substitute its own, or remit it back to the department with directions.
A non-compellable, non-reviewable discretionary power exercised personally by the Minister where it is in the public interest to grant a more favourable decision than is otherwise available under the Migration Act. Reserved for genuinely exceptional circumstances.
Where the ART has refused review, judicial review proceedings can be brought in the Federal Circuit and Family Court. The Court does not re-decide the merits — it considers whether the Tribunal made a jurisdictional or other legal error in reaching its decision.
Section 501 of the Migration Act allows visa refusal or cancellation on character grounds. Health criterion PIC 4007 requires applicants to be free from conditions likely to result in significant cost to the Australian healthcare system. Both can be waived in compelling cases.
If the department issues a Notice of Intention to Consider Cancellation, you typically have 14 to 28 days to respond before a decision is made. The response is the most important opportunity to present your case — refusals at this stage often lead to bridging visas, detention exposure or removal.
Statutory deadlines are not negotiable. If you have received a refusal letter, cancellation notice or NOICC, contact us as early as possible — even before deciding whether to engage. We provide a no-obligation initial review of the decision and your prospects.
Independent review of your case by a MARA-registered agent — fast, candid and strategic.