ART Appeals Australia
A visa refusal is not the final word. ART Appeals give you the chance to have your case reviewed independently. As your ART migration agent, we help you apply AAT visa review requests before the deadline closes.
What is the ART?
The Administrative Review Tribunal, or ART, reviews decisions made by the Department of Home Affairs, including many visa refusals and cancellations. It began on 14 October 2024 and took over the work of the old Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) and the Immigration Assessment Authority. So if a letter or a friend told you to lodge an AAT appeal, that same review now happens at the ART. The change came in under the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024, and any case still open at the AAT on that date moved across on its own. Nobody had to reapply.
An ART review is a merits review. A Tribunal member looks at your case again from the start and decides what the correct or preferable decision should be on the facts and the law. They can consider documents the Department never saw and hear your side directly. Which decisions can be reviewed, and which cannot, is set out in the Migration Act 1958 and the Migration Regulations 1994. Your refusal letter should tell you whether review is available and how long you have to lodge.
Who can apply for an ART review?
Whether you can apply, and who lodges the application, depends on the decision and where you were when it was made.
- If your onshore visa application was refused, you are usually the person who lodges the review.
- If an offshore application was refused, a sponsor, nominator or eligible relative in Australia may need to lodge on your behalf.
- If a sponsorship or nomination was refused, the business or proposed sponsor is usually the one who applies.
Some decisions cannot go to the ART. These include decisions the Minister makes personally, refusals tied to certain adverse security assessments, and most offshore refusals where there is no sponsor in Australia. If you are not sure which box your case falls into, the refusal letter is the first place to look, and a registered migration agent can confirm it well before your deadline runs out.
Apply for an ART visa review: the process
The steps are straightforward on paper. Getting them right, and on time, is where the work is.
- Read the refusal or cancellation decision closely and note the exact decision date and the review deadline.
- Confirm the decision is reviewable and work out the correct review pathway for your visa type.
- Lodge the application with the ART online, pay the fee or apply for the fee reduction, and keep the confirmation.
- If you are onshore, make sure your bridging visa is in place so you stay lawful while the review runs.
- Prepare evidence and written submissions that answer each reason the Department gave for the refusal.
- Attend the hearing if one is held, and answer the member’s questions about your case.
Time limits for appeals
This is where otherwise strong cases fall over. Time limits are strict and they depend on the type of decision. For many onshore visa refusals, the window is 28 days from the day you are taken to have received the decision. It can be shorter in other situations, for instance if you are in immigration detention. The Tribunal usually cannot extend these deadlines. Miss the date and you generally lose your review rights, no matter how good the case underneath is. Read the date on your letter, work out your deadline, and treat it as fixed.
Required documents
A complete lodgement gives the member something to work with from day one. At a minimum you will usually need:
- A copy of the refusal or cancellation decision, meaning both the notification letter and the decision record.
- Your passport and the details of the application that was refused.
- Evidence that answers the Department’s reasons, such as updated financials, relationship evidence, employment records or corrected information.
- Written submissions that go through each finding and explain why a different decision should be made.
Talk to Bullseye Consultant
Your review deadline is already counting down. Talk to a registered migration agent at Bullseye Consultant before it passes.
How a MARA registered migration agent can help
An ART review is not a second go at the same online form. The member wants to see that every reason for refusal has been met with evidence and argument that ties back to the legal criteria. A registered migration agent reads the decision record, finds the points where the Department’s reasoning can be challenged, gathers the evidence that matters, and writes submissions aimed at those criteria. At Bullseye Consultant, our agents are registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA). We manage the deadline, the lodgement and the hearing preparation so nothing slips through.
Why choose Bullseye Consultant
Bullseye Consultant is a registered migration agency in Woolloongabba, Brisbane, working across skilled, family, student and employer sponsored matters. Our principal agent, Amanpreet Bhangoo, holds MARN 1573884. We will tell you honestly whether a review is worth running before you spend money on it, and if it is worth running, we build it properly and lodge it on time.
Frequently Asked Questions about ART Appeals Australia
Is the ART the same as the AAT?
The ART replaced the AAT, and the Immigration Assessment Authority, on 14 October 2024. Cases that were open at the AAT moved across automatically. If your paperwork still says AAT, the review now takes place at the ART.
How much does an ART review cost?
Most general visa reviews carry an application fee of about $3,580 in 2026. A 50 per cent reduction may apply if paying it would cause you serious financial hardship, and half the fee is refunded if the Tribunal sets the decision aside. Protection visa reviews have no upfront fee. Fees are reviewed each year, so check the current figure before you lodge.
Can I stay in Australia while I wait?
If you applied onshore and hold a bridging visa, that bridging visa usually stays in force while the review is on foot, often with work rights. The exact position depends on your visa history, so confirm it before making plans.
How long does an ART review take?
It varies a lot by visa type, from a few months to a couple of years. Student reviews tend to move faster and are increasingly decided without a hearing. Partner and family matters sit at the longer end.
What are my chances of success?
That depends entirely on why you were refused and what evidence you can put forward. As a rough guide, the Tribunal reported that between July 2024 and March 2025, skilled visa reviews succeeded in about 58 per cent of cases and partner reviews in about 55 per cent, while protection reviews succeeded far less often. Your own prospects need a proper assessment.
What if the ART affirms the refusal?
You may be able to apply to the Federal Circuit and Family Court for judicial review within 35 days, but only on the basis that a legal error was made, not for a fresh look at the facts. A migration agent or lawyer can tell you whether that is realistic in your case.
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