Commonwealth Numbered Acts

MIGRATION AND MARITIME POWERS LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (RESOLVING THE ASYLUM LEGACY CASELOAD) ACT 2014 (NO. 135, 2014) - SCHEDULE 3

Part 1 -- Amendment of the Migration Act 1958

Division 1--Amendments

Migration Act 1958

1  After subsection 31(3)

Insert:

          (3A)  To avoid doubt, subsection (3) does not require criteria to be prescribed for a visa or visas including, without limitation, visas of the following classes:

                     (a)  special category visas (see section 32);

                     (b)  permanent protection visas (see subsection 35A(2));

                     (c)  temporary protection visas (see subsection 35A(3));

                     (d)  bridging visas (see section 37);

                     (e)  temporary safe haven visas (see section 37A);

                      (f)  maritime crew visas (see section 38B).

Note 1:       An application for any of these visas is invalid if criteria relating to both the application and the grant of the visa have not been prescribed (see subsection 46AA(2)).

Note 2:       If criteria are prescribed by the regulations for any of these visas, the visa cannot be granted unless any criteria prescribed by this Act, as well as any prescribed by regulation, are satisfied (see subsection 46AA(4)).

2  Before subsection 46(1)

Insert:

Validity--general

3  Paragraph 46(1)(d)

Repeal the paragraph, substitute:

                     (d)  it is not prevented by any provision of this Act, or of any other law of the Commonwealth, including, without limitation, the following provisions of this Act:

                              (i)  section 48 (visa refused or cancelled earlier);

                             (ii)  section 48A (protection visa refused or cancelled earlier);

                            (iii)  section 161 (criminal justice visa holders);

                            (iv)  section 164D (enforcement visa holders);

                             (v)  section 195 (detainee applying out of time);

                            (vi)  section 501E (earlier refusal or cancellation on character grounds); and

                     (e)  it is not invalid under any provision of this Act, or of any other law of the Commonwealth, including, without limitation, the following provisions of this Act:

                              (i)  section 46AA (visa applications, and the grant of visas, for some Act-based visas);

                             (ii)  section 46A (visa applications by unauthorised maritime arrivals);

                            (iii)  section 46B (visa applications by transitory persons);

                            (iv)  section 91E or 91G (CPA and safe third countries);

                             (v)  section 91K (temporary safe haven visas);

                            (vi)  section 91P (non-citizens with access to protection from third countries).

4  Before subsection 46(2A)

Insert:

Provision of personal identifiers

5  Before subsection 46(3)

Insert:

Prescribed criteria for validity

6  At the end of section 46

Add:

             (5)  To avoid doubt, subsections (3) and (4) do not require criteria to be prescribed in relation to the validity of visa applications, including, without limitation, applications for visas of the following classes:

                     (a)  special category visas (see section 32);

                     (b)  permanent protection visas (see subsection 35A(2));

                     (c)  temporary protection visas (see subsection 35A(3));

                     (d)  bridging visas (see section 37);

                     (e)  temporary safe haven visas (see section 37A);

                      (f)  maritime crew visas (see section 38B).

7  After section 46

Insert:

46AA   Visa applications, and the grant of visas, for some Act-based visas

Visa classes covered by this section

             (1)  The following classes of visas are covered by this section:

                     (a)  special category visas (see section 32);

                     (b)  permanent protection visas (see subsection 35A(2));

                     (c)  temporary protection visas (see subsection 35A(3));

                     (d)  bridging visas (see section 37);

                     (e)  temporary safe haven visas (see section 37A);

                      (f)  maritime crew visas (see section 38B).

Applications invalid if no prescribed criteria

             (2)  An application for a visa of any of the classes covered by this section is invalid if, when the application is made, both of the following conditions are satisfied:

                     (a)  there are no regulations in effect prescribing criteria that must be satisfied for a visa of that particular class to be a valid application;

                     (b)  there are no regulations in effect prescribing criteria that must be satisfied for a visa of that particular class to be granted.

Note:          This subsection does not apply if regulations are in effect prescribing criteria mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b) (or both) for a visa.

             (3)  The criteria mentioned in subsection (2) do not include prescribed criteria that apply generally to visa applications or the granting of visas.

Example:    The criteria mentioned in subsection (2) do not include the criteria set out in regulation 2.07 of the Migration Regulations 1994 (application for visa--general).

Criteria in the Act and the regulations

             (4)  If regulations are in effect prescribing criteria mentioned in paragraph (2)(a) or (b) (or both) for a visa of a class covered by this section:

                     (a)  an application for the visa is invalid unless the application satisfies both:

                              (i)  any applicable criteria under this Act that relate to applications for visas of that class; and

                             (ii)  any applicable criteria prescribed by regulation that relate to applications for visas of that class; and

                     (b)  the visa must not be granted unless the application satisfies both:

                              (i)  any applicable criteria under this Act that relate to the grant of visas of that class; and

                             (ii)  any applicable criteria prescribed by regulation that relate to the grant of visas of that class.

Note:          For visa applications generally, see section 46. For the grant of a visa generally, see section 65.

Division 2--Application

8  Application of amendments

The amendments of the Migration Act 1958 made by Division 1 apply in relation to an application for a visa made on or after the commencement of the amendments.

Part 2 -- Amendment of the Migration Regulations 1994

Migration Regulations 1994

9  Regulation 2.01 (heading)

Repeal the heading, substitute:

2.01   Classes of visas

Classes of visas prescribed by section 31 of the Act

10  Regulation 2.01

Before "For", insert "(1)".

11  Paragraph 2.01(a)

Omit "created by the Act", substitute "identified by an item in the table in subregulation (2)".

12  Regulation 2.01 (note)

Repeal the note, substitute:

Classes of visas provided for by the Act

             (2)  A class of visas provided for by the Act that is identified by an item in the following table is classified under these Regulations, by Class and Subclass, as indicated in the item.

Note 1:       Subsection 35A(4) of the Act provides that additional classes of permanent and temporary visas may be prescribed as protection visas for the purposes of section 31.

Note 2:       For table items 4-12, section 37 provides that there are classes of temporary visas, to be known as bridging visas.