Aussie immigration minister to personally decide cancellations of visas

Following the stopping of the deportation of a New Zealand criminal after it was decided that the man would have resettlement problems in his home country, Scott Morrison will now take responsibility for all visa cancellation orders.

An Administrative Appeals Tribunal ruled that Kiwi Sean Gabriel, involved in five violent robberies in 2008, could stay in Australia under humanitarian considerations as he might find adjusting to life in his home country too difficult. The decision, seen by some as human rights run riot, has been widely criticised.

As a result, Australian immigration minister Scott Morrison has announced that such decisions will not be made by immigration officials or the tribunal in future. He told the media that he alone would be responsible for overseeing visa cancellations based on his reading of possible deportees’ characters and lifestyles.

Morrison added that, once his decisions were maid, no appeals would be allowed. The Gabriel case isn’t the first time a convicted criminal has been allowed to stay in Australia rather than being deported to his country of origin.

A Vietnamese immigrant, Tuan Anh Hoang, successfully appealed against deportation although he had a 17-year criminal record of stealing in order to finance his heroin addiction. Even although the AAT believed there was a high risk of his reoffending, he was allowed to remain in the country due to strong family ties.

Until these two cases came under public scrutiny via the present government, immigration departmental officials carried out the character assessments of those whose visas were to be cancelled. Morrison is considering advice on both issues, but has informed the department that, in future, all visa cancellation character reviews should be directly referred to him.