July 2022: two sisters from Myanmar decided to apply for Protection Visa in Australia. 

They were both studying in Australia and feared returning to Myanmar. They supported democracy in Myanmar and had been actively protesting in Melbourne against the oppressive military regime in the Southeast Asian nation.

Protection visa seemed like a dream come true as it would allow the sisters to gain permanent residency in Australia. 

Both sisters belonged to the Rohingya minority and had the exact same claim for protection visa: the systematic abuse, persecution and deprivation of liberty by the  Burmese military regime. 

See, they feared for their lives, and their circumstances were exactly the same. Needless to say, they were eligible for protection visa. And they applied for it almost at the same time.  

However, the outcome of their protection visa applications were not the same… 

One sister got her protection visa approved and the other got her protection visa refused.

Why?

The Protection Visa (Subclass 866) applications that they submitted to the Department of Home Affairs were not similar…

In fact, they were quite different.

The successful application had a 40-page country submission referencing credible sources such as DFAT Country Reports, UK Home Office Reports, Amnesty International Reports and more.

On the other hand, the refused application had a poorly drafted 5-page country submission referencing some news pages about the military coup in Myanmar found on Google.

But that’s not all…

Both sisters were called for the protection visa interview…

And it turned out, their performances during the interview were completely different…

Don’t get me wrong, they were both highly educated and studying their Master Degrees in one of the most prominent Universities in Melbourne. 

So, nothing to do with their intellectual capacity.

What made the difference?

Choice! 

The successful sister sought the assistance of Gold Migration Lawyers, a Migration Law Firm that specialises in Protection Visas and had been lodging protection visas for more than 12 years. 

Not only did Gold Migration compile a thorough country submission with credible sources, but they also trained the successful sister for the protection visa interview. 

Saemeh Ghasemi and Michael Forson, two of the most senior protection visa lawyers from Gold Migration Lawyers, had been to many protection visa interviews. As such, they knew what type of questions the Department officer would ask the to-be-successful sister.

Weeks before the successful sister was called for the interview, the lawyers conducted a series of mock interviews to prepare her for the actual interview. That included tips and advice on how to stay calm and avoid contradictions.    

The lawyers also accompanied the successful sister to the interview. And she followed all instructions provided by Saemeh Ghasemi and Michael Forson. 

After one month from the interview, the successful sister had her protection visa granted.  

What happened to the unsuccessful sister?

She sought help from a Migration Agency that does all different types of visa applications, such as work visas and skill visas. In other words, a Jack of All Trades who does not specialise in protection visas. 

The country submission was probably drafted in a few minutes by a junior lawyer while juggling between multiple free-consultation calls and skill visa applications.

Also, the unsuccessful sister attended her protection visa interview on her own. Without any preparation, she was unsure about what to answer and got into many contradictions.

Not surprisingly, she received a refusal letter 3 days after her sister had been granted protection visa.

What a tragedy for this young lady!

But not everything was lost…

The successful sister pleaded with her unsuccessful sister to contact Gold Migration to see if there was anything they could do to get her a permanent residency in Australia.

Thank god she followed her sister’s advice. Because there was still time to lodge an appeal with the AAT (Administrative Appeals Tribunal).

Gold Migration Lawyers prepared new submissions and trained the unsuccessful sister for the AAT hearing…

She had to spend more than double the money the successful sister spent on her application. 

But in the end, it was worth it…

The protection visa appeal was successful!

And the unsuccessful sister became successful. 

Both sisters were immensely grateful to Gold Migration. 

Since then, both sisters have finished their Master Degrees. One has started a job as an Engineer for a big mining company. The other started her own hospitality business. They are now planning to bring their mother to Australia.   

P.S.: If you are curious as to why the unsuccessful sister didn’t consult with Gold Migration from the beginning, let me tell you… Both sisters came for an initial consultation with Gold Migration. However, the unsuccessful sister decided to shop around as she wanted to save money. She might have saved some money in the beginning, but in the end she paid a much higher price.

If you are really serious about your protection visa application and your future in Australia, fill in the form below to book a consultation with Gold Migration Lawyers. We can work with you to strengthen your application in order to achieve a successful outcome…

If you need any help with your protection visa application, call Gold Migration Lawyers today on 1300 320 300.