s. 417 application

s.417 Letters to the Minister:

s. 417 are the last avenue for a detainee to gain a visa prior to being lawfully deported. They essentially request the Minister to exercise their discretion to replace the decision of the courts with one that is favourable for the SLFR client. Note that while SLFR encourages such letters, less than 7% of section 417 applications to the Minister are successful. S. 417 can be found here.

A good s. 417 application contains a detailed but succinct summary of the reasons why the applicant deserves special consideration by the Minister. This requires a thorough knowledge of the applicant's background and a good understanding of the reasons why the applicant fled from their homeland.

We suggest that all s. 417 letter-writers make use of the resources provided on the country information page.

You do NOT have to be a lawyer to write a letter to the Minister requesting that she/he exercise discretion in favour of the SLFR client.

The following pages offer guidance for writing s. 417 applications to the Minister:

• Guide from Australian Lawyers for Human Rights

   

• When is a s. 417 application worth making - a guide

   

• Humanitarian requests to the Minister for asylum seekers: A practical guide