Will AAT Appeal Processing times reduce in 2021-22?
With the AAT application fee increasing in July 2021, to $3,000 from $1,800, it is expected that fewer cases will be referred to AAT after a visa refusal from the Immigration department.
This could have the effect of reducing the time it takes to finalise those that are still lodged.
There appears to have been a large increase in the numbers of visa applications being rejected, and then being submitted to an AAT hearing.
The Migration and Refugee Division finalised more than 26,000 cases in 2019–20.
This is the highest yearly
finalisation figure in the Division’s history and a 26% increase on the previous reporting year.
I have seen some applicants talk about having a visa application being rejected, and being advised to go to AAT, just to buy time to be able to stay in Australia longer. Often getting an extra couple of years in the country, for the relatively low cost of an AAT application fee.
Unfortunately, with large numbers doing that, it could cause delays for those with genuine reasons to be processed.
In 2019-20 there was a total of 29,976 Migration and Refugee applications lodged with the AAT.
26,402 were finalised in the year, from the 59,718 applications carried over from the previous year.
The number still on hand at 30 June 2020 increased to 63,305.
In 2019-20 the median time to finalise a case was 82 weeks. This has increased from the 68 weeks median proceeding time in 2018-19.
Administrative Appeals Tribunal Annual Report 2019–20
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