Long-term residency no bar to deportation

The Minister for Immigration has the power under s.501 of the Migration Act 1958 to cancel a person’s visa (including a permanent resident visa) if that person fails to satisfy the Minister that they pass the “character test”. In certain circumstances, a person’s visa will be automatically cancelled. Between the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 financial years, the number of visa cancellations on character grounds increased fivefold. Visa cancellations can have enormously serious consequences. The person affected may be separated from loved ones and friends for a long period of time. They may be held involuntarily at an immigration detention center, removed and effectively excluded...