ART (Administrative Review Tribunal) Review Applications

If the Department of Home Affairs has refused or cancelled your visa, the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) can review that decision on its merits — and may affirm it, set it aside, or send it back to the Department for reconsideration. The deadlines are strict, so acting quickly is essential. We help you lodge on time and present your case as strongly as the facts allow.

Act quickly — the deadlines are strict

Your review application must generally be lodged within the timeframe stated in your decision letter — often 28 days for a refusal, and much shorter for cancellations (sometimes only days). These deadlines generally cannot be extended, so treat the date in your letter as final and contact us as soon as possible — for cancellations, that can genuinely mean within days.

If you believe you've missed the deadline, contact us anyway. Whether you were validly notified of the decision — and therefore when your time actually started running — can itself be a live legal question, and it deserves proper assessment before you assume the door is closed.

How the process works

1. Lodgement. We lodge your review application with the ART within the required timeframe. Depending on your circumstances, an existing bridging visa may continue while the review runs, or you may need to apply for one to remain lawful — we confirm your position as part of taking on the matter.
2. Submissions. While your application is in the queue, we gather your supporting evidence and prepare written submissions. Some matters — including many student visa refusals — are decided on the papers, which makes the written case especially important.
3. Review and hearing. The ART considers the material and may hold a hearing, where we assist you to make submissions and answer its questions before it decides.