Is the post-1 July 2007 version of Visa Condition 8202 applicable in this case?
24 The appellant submitted that because the appellant was granted a visa before 1 July 2007, and because his non-compliance with the terms of his visa occurred prior to 1 July 2007, the Tribunal and the Federal Magistrate incorrectly applied the post-1 July 2007 version of Visa Condition 8202(3).
25 On 1 July 2007 visa condition 8202 in Sch 8 to the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) was changed by the amendment to subcl (3). Prior to 1 July 2007 visa condition 8202(3) provided:
(3) A holder meets the requirements of this subclause if:
(a) in the case of a holder whose education provider keeps attendance records - the Minister is satisfied that the holder attends for at least 80% of the contact hours scheduled:
(i) for a course that runs for less than a semester - for the course; or
(ii) for a course that runs for at least a semester - for each term and semester of the course; and
(b) in any case - the holder achieves an academic result that is certified by the education provider to be at least satisfactory:
(i) for a course that runs for less than a semester - for the course; or
(ii) for a course that runs for at least a semester - for each term or semester (whichever is shorter) of the course.
26 After 1 July 2007 Visa condition 8202(3) provided:
(3) A holder meets the requirements of this subclause if neither of the following applies:
(a) the education provider has certified the holder, for a registered course undertaken by the holder, as not achieving satisfactory course progress for:
(i) section 19 of the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000; and
(ii) standard 10 of the National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2007;
(b) the education provider has certified the holder, for a registered course undertaken by the holder, as not achieving satisfactory course attendance for:
(i) section 19 of the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000; and
(ii) standard 11 of the National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2007.
27 Accordingly whereas prior to 1 July 2007 Visa condition 8202 was breached if the Minister was not positively satisfied that the visa holder attended at least 80% of the contact hours scheduled for each term and semester of the course for courses which ran for at least a semester, after 1 July 2007 breach of Visa Condition 8202 was established by certification by the educational institution that the visa holder had failed to achieve satisfactory course attendance for the purposes of s 19 of the ESOS Act and Standard 11 of the Code.
28 So far as relevant s 19 of the ESOS Act provides:
(2) A registered provider must give the Secretary particulars of any breach by an accepted student of a prescribed condition of a student visa as soon as practicable after the breach occurs.
29 The key provision in Standard 11 of the Code is cl 11.3. Unlike subcl 3 of the earlier version of Visa Condition 8202, Standard 11 imposes no requirement on the student of attendance of contact hours for each term and semester of the course. Instead, the student attendance required by Standard 11 is determinable by the relevant educational institution and referable, as a minimum, to the attendance at the course as a whole. Clause 11.3 of Standard 11 provides:
11.3 For the courses identified in 11.1, the registered provider must have and implement appropriate documented attendance policies and procedures for each course which must be provided to staff and students that specify the:
a. requirements for achieving satisfactory attendance, which at a minimum, requires overseas students to attend at least 80 per cent of the scheduled course contact hours;
b. manner in which attendance and absences are recorded and calculated;
c. process for assessing satisfactory attendance;
d. process for determining the point at which the student has failed to meet satisfactory attendance, and
e. procedure for notifying students that they have failed to meet satisfactory attendance requirements.
30 The transitional provision concerning visas granted prior to 1 July 2007, but which are breached after that date, is reg 5(3) of the Migration Amendment Regulations 2007 (Cth). This regulation provides:
The amendment made by schedule 3 also applies in relation to a visa granted before 1 July 2007 but only in relation to a breach of a visa condition that occurred on or after 1 July 2007.
31 It appears from the terms of the regulation that, in relation to pre-1 July 2007 visas such as the appellant's visa, the version of Visa Condition 8202 in force after 1 July 2007 is relevant only in relation to breaches of those visa conditions which occurred after that date. So far as concerns courses of more than one semester in length, prior to 1 July 2007 a breach of the visa would have been constituted by failure of a student to attend 80% of prescribed contact hours each term and semester of the course up until 1 July 2007, however after 1 July 2007 a breach of the visa conditions would have been referable to breach of the educational institutions' attendance policies (as a minimum, 80% of the course as a whole after 1 July 2007).
32 The appellant submits that, on the facts, the appellant's non-compliance with the terms of his visa occurred prior to 1 July 2007, and accordingly the Federal Magistrate incorrectly applied the amended subcl 3 of Visa Condition 8202 (including Standard 11) to that breach.
33 However as was demonstrated by the VIT attendance records dated 24 September 2007 (AB 34) and as became evident during the hearing:
· the appellant failed to attend classes both prior to 1 July 2007 and after 1 July 2007;
· although VIT had written a warning letter to the appellant on 17 May 2007 in relation to the failure of the appellant to attend classes prior to that date, VIT's notice of intention to report the appellant to the Department dated 8 August 2007 and subsequent certification as to the appellant's failure to attend classes related to the failure of the appellant to regularly attend classes at VIT between 11 July 2007 and 14 September 2007;
· the certification does not relate to events prior to 1 July 2007. Accordingly, the Court does not need to decide how reg 5(3) of the Migration Amendment Regulations applies if an educational institution certifies that a visa holder failed to achieve satisfactory course attendance based on course attendance both before and after 1 July 2007.
34 It is clear that, for the purposes of the decision of the delegate to cancel the appellant's visa, the relevant version of Visa Condition 8202 was that in operation after 1 July 2007.