The Administrative Review Tribunal and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 was passed by the Australian Parliament on 5 February 2026.

The new rules will start on a date set by the government, or automatically within 6 months after Royal Assent if no date is announced.

Key Change: More Cases Decided Without a Hearing

Under the new law, the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) will be able to decide more cases without holding an oral hearing.

Instead, some cases will be decided “on the papers”, meaning the Tribunal will rely only on documents and written submissions.

The Tribunal can do this where:

Major Impact on Student and Temporary Visa Reviews

The Migration Act changes go further by requiring some visa review cases to be decided on the papers.

This will apply to:

Student Visa Refusals

Reviews of student visa refusal decisions may now be decided without a hearing.

Certain Temporary Visas

Some temporary visa review cases will also be decided on the papers.
The government can expand this list through migration regulations in the future.

What Is NOT Changing?

The following remain unchanged:

These cases can still involve hearings.

What This Means for Visa Applicants

This change makes strong written submissions and evidence more important than ever as the applicants may not be given further opportunity to present their case in review applications.

Applicants should:

Our View

These changes are likely to speed up processing times, allowing review applications to be finalised faster than before. However, they may also shorten the bridging visa period for applicants in Australia who are waiting for their review outcomes.

Importantly, these changes do not affect an applicant’s right to seek judicial review if the ART decision is negative.

At the same time, the changes increase the importance of strong professional preparation and a clear strategy from the very beginning of the review process.