Miscellaneous Section 55: Refugee Convention: certification
136.Section 55 allows the Secretary of State to issue a certificate that an appellant is not entitled to the protection of Article 33 (1) of the Refugee Convention because Article 1F applies or Article 33 (2) applies on national security grounds. It requires the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) or the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) to begin substantive consideration on the asylum appeal by considering the statements in the certificate. If SIAC or the AIT agrees with the statements in the certificate, then it must dismiss the appeal insofar as it relies on the Refugee Convention.