There are Four Key Stages when Applying for Protection
There are 4 main stages in the process of applying for a Protection visa to stay in Australia. You may not have to go through all of these stages to get a visa. The first stage of applying is to apply to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (the DIAC) for a Protection visa. The following stages might apply to your case if you are not successful when you first apply for a Protection visa.
- Stage 1: Applying to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship – “DIAC“
- Stage 2: Merits review by the Refugee Review Tribunal – “RRT“
- Stage 3: Judicial review by a Court – “Judge“
- Stage 4: Intervention by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship – “Minister“
If your case is not successful at any of these stages then you will have limited options left and you may have to leave Australia. To find out more about when you will have to leave Australia and what to expect please click here.
Remember, you can only apply for a Protection visa once.
If you apply for a Protection visa then you might not be able to apply for other visas to stay in Australia. It is really important that you make sure that a Protection visa is the right visa for you to apply for before you apply. You should start by getting some advice from a registered migration agent about whether you are a refugee and whether it is a good idea for you to apply for a Protection visa before you go ahead and make an application and make sure to ask if there is a better visa option available to you. You can find out more information about what a registered migration agent is and how they can help by clicking here.
