Kanye West’s Australian Visa Cancelled
The Department of Home Affairs recently cancelled Kanye West’s Australian visa.
The reason for the cancellation is that the American rapper released a song referencing Hitler and promoting Nazism. He has also posted content on his social media accounts supporting Nazi ideology.
The song, released in May this year, was removed from most major music platforms shortly after publication.
This is not the first time Australia has considered blocking West. In 2023, Education Minister Jason Clare condemned West’s “awful” comments about Hitler and the Holocaust and suggested he could be denied entry.
The Minister for Immigration Tony Burke has made the following comments:
"He's made a lot of offensive comments that my officials looked at again once he released [that] song," he said.
"He's got family here … It wasn't a visa for the purpose of concerts. It was a lower-level [visa] and the officials still looked at the law and said if you're going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism, we don't need that in Australia."
Kanye West’s Australian Family Connections:
West is currently married to Bianca Censori, an Australian citizen from Melbourne.
So the visa is likely to be a visitor visa, to allow visits to his wife’s family in Australia.
The Power to Cancel under the Migration Act include s116(1)(e) and s501
Under s116(1)(e) of the Migration Act the Minister for Immigration has wide powers, often referred to as God powers.
They can cancel a visa if:
“the presence of its holder in Australia is or may be, or would or might be, a risk to:
(i) the health, safety or good order of the Australian community or a segment of the Australian community; or
(ii) the health or safety of an individual or individuals; or “
There are also wide powers under s501 part (2) and (3) to refuse and cancel visas if based on not satifiying the character test.
These include:
501(6) For the purposes of this section, a person does not pass the character test if:
(iii) vilify a segment of the Australian community; or
(iv) incite discord in the Australian community or in a segment of that community; or
(v) represent a danger to the Australian community or to a segment of that community, whether by way of being liable to become involved in activities that are disruptive to, or in violence threatening harm to, that community or segment, or in any other way; or
The song Heil Hitler could be seen to vilify parts of the Australian community, incite discord and to encourage disruptive and violent activities to a community.
We Predicted this Might Happen to Kanye West – back in 2022:
In an article we published in 2022 in relation to the cancellation of Tennis superstar Djokovic’s visa, we made the following observations.
And we included pictures of Kanye West and also of Greta Thunberg.
If you hold an Australian visa and have social media – be careful:
So, be careful what you publish on social media and other platforms.
The cancellation powers could be applied to you. Your visa could be cancelled if your posts could be seen to be a risk to a community in Australia or to encourage disruptive activities or violence. Australia is not the only country that may check your online activity. For example, the United States requires social media information when you apply for a visa — and they may review it.
