A new immigration direction, known as direction 110, will be implemented within weeks, giving greater weight to community safety in visa decisions.
A review of a controversial immigration direction has been approved in a bid to prioritize community safety.
Directive 99, which prioritized a foreign national’s links to Australia when making visa decisions, has been repealed with a new measure, Directive 110, which will come into force from June 21.
Directive 110 will give greater weight to community safety when appeals courts make decisions on visa cancellations.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles came under pressure after the Administrative Appeals Tribunal overturned several visa decisions due to Directive 99, even though the foreigners in the cases were found guilty of serious offences.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles came under pressure after the Administrative Appeals Tribunal overturned several visa decisions due to Directive 99, even though the foreigners in the cases were found guilty of serious offences.
“The new revised direction will make it very clear that the Australian government expects greater weight to be given to community protection when it comes to visa decisions,” he told reporters in Melbourne on Friday.
“It also elevates the impact on victims of family violence and their families to one of the top existing considerations.”
Several visa cancellation appeals will still be considered under direction 99. (Jeremy Piper/AAP PHOTOS)
Giles said there were still 10 cases before the appeals court that would be considered under the existing 99 direction.
The minister said he would follow the cases closely if the court decided to reinstate the canceled visas.
“Where appropriate, I will consider canceling any visa granted in the national interest,” he said.
Directorate 99 was created after the New Zealand government became concerned that too many Kiwis were being deported, despite having no ties to the nation.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed concern about the federal government’s decision to reform address 99.
“We need to give a clear signal to decision-makers that decisions must be made based on common sense and the protection of the Australian community. That’s what leadership is all about,” Giles said.
