Refused or cancelled? Check your review deadline today.
Plain-language guidance on Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) merits review—not a court appeal—after a visa refusal or cancellation. Choose the page that matches your decision, then contact us early.
Office hours Monday–Friday, 9 am–5 pm. Not a 24/7 service. Contact us now; you do not need every document first.
Strict deadlines apply. Do not wait.
Have the decision, notification details and exact review deadline assessed promptly. Do not assume you have 28 days or wait for the next available appointment.
- Eligibility. Not every decision can be reviewed. The decision type, decision-maker, applicable law and person entitled to apply must be checked. In some matters the eligible applicant is the sponsor, not the visa applicant.
- Status. An ART application does not automatically give you lawful status, a bridging visa, work rights, travel permission or permission to return to Australia. Assess these separately.
- Booking. Booking a consultation, contacting iExcel or completing visitor registration does not lodge an ART application or stop a deadline. Do not rely on a booking confirmation to protect review rights or visa status.
- Documents. If available, the decision letter, decision record and details of when and how you received them help identify review rights and deadlines. Do not delay initial contact while collecting a complete file.
Examples of how review time limits can differ
Illustrations only, not a calculator. Your exact deadline depends on your decision notice and how it was given to you.
- Migration and protection reviews
- A 28-day application period applies to many reviewable migration and protection decisions. Other categories have different rules. This is not a deadline for your particular decision.
- Immigration detention
- A 14-day period can apply to migration or protection reviews where the applicant is in immigration detention. The applicable circumstances and notification rules must be checked.
- Expedited character reviews
- Certain eligible character reviews are subject to a nine-day statutory application period under Migration Act s 500(6B), calculated from notification under s 501G(1). Reviewability, the notification event and the exact deadline must be checked urgently for the particular decision. Do not use this page to calculate your deadline.
- No general extension
- The ART cannot extend the statutory application periods for the migration/protection and expedited character reviews described here. Verify the decision notice and applicable law immediately; do not use these examples to calculate your deadline.
Student visa refusal reviews: hearing changes from 1 June 2026
Most student visa refusal reviews lodged on or after 1 June 2026 must be decided without an oral hearing. The Tribunal generally decides these matters on written materials.
Transitional details and exceptions
- Transition
- The changes can also affect earlier reviews not yet constituted (assigned) to a Tribunal member before 1 June 2026. Do not assume an earlier lodgement date guarantees a hearing. Follow the Tribunal’s correspondence; a hearing already notified goes ahead as advised.
- Exceptions
- Limited exceptions apply, including some refusals based on public interest criteria or special return criteria. Check the actual refusal and the Tribunal’s directions.
- Representation
- You can still have a representative for a review without a hearing. Complete, accurate written submissions and relevant evidence remain important; do not wait for an expected hearing to explain your case.
What the Tribunal can decide
No outcome is guaranteed. Possible outcomes include:
- Affirm
- The original decision is confirmed and remains in effect.
- Vary
- The Tribunal changes the decision where its powers permit.
- Set aside
- The original decision is overturned, with a substitute decision where legally permitted.
- Remit
- The matter is returned to the original decision-maker for reconsideration under the applicable directions. This is not necessarily an immediate visa grant.
- Other procedural outcomes
- An application can also be dismissed, withdrawn or found outside the Tribunal’s jurisdiction. Available outcomes depend on the review and applicable law.
General information, not individual migration advice. Outcomes are never guaranteed. Official sources:
Refusal and ART review questions
The Administrative Review Tribunal independently reviews certain government decisions. It replaced the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) on 14 October 2024. ART review here means merits review, not a court appeal.
Not every decision can be reviewed. The decision type, decision-maker, applicable law and person entitled to apply must be checked. In some matters the eligible applicant is the sponsor, not the visa applicant.
The exact application deadline must be checked against the decision, notification circumstances and applicable law. Statutory migration review periods cannot generally be extended by the Tribunal. Do not wait for an appointment or a complete evidence file before checking the deadline.
An ART application does not automatically give you lawful status, a bridging visa, work rights, travel permission or permission to return to Australia. Assess these separately.
The powers and outcomes depend on the review. The original decision may be affirmed, or a favourable outcome may require further Department consideration. A visa grant is not automatic.
Booking a consultation, contacting iExcel or completing visitor registration does not lodge an ART application or stop a deadline. Do not rely on a booking confirmation to protect review rights or visa status.
If available, the decision letter, decision record and details of when and how you received them help identify review rights and deadlines. Do not delay initial contact while collecting a complete file.
Your matter:
Visa Refusals & ART Reviews.
Selected service · Visa Refusals & ART Reviews
A consultation assesses your circumstances, discusses realistic options and outlines possible next steps. It is not a visa or review application and not a representation agreement. Any further work, its scope and fees are agreed separately.
- 01Book your appointment
Choose an available appointment time and check the details before confirming.
Book appointment (opens booking page in a new tab) - 02Complete the visitor registration form
After booking, add your details and circumstances for your visa refusals & art reviews consultation.
Complete registration form (opens in a new tab) - 03Attend your consultation
Appointments are normally by phone, via Zoom, or in person at our Melbourne office. Follow your appointment confirmation for the arrangements.
Urgent matter or approaching deadline? Call our office on 03 9620 3195 or mobile +61 415 997 528.Message (SMS)WhatsAppA booking does not lodge anything, preserve rights or extend a deadline.