Feedback from the public consultation on the paper "Strengthening the test for Australian Citizenship"

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Your email has been received by the Department of Immigration and Border
Protection’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Section. Please note that we
will only action and respond to FOI requests and other matters relating to
the Freedom of Information Act 1982.

If your email is a valid FOI request, the Department will contact you
shortly to acknowledge your request. Please be aware that there has been a
significant increase in the number of FOI requests received and that there
may be delays in the processing of your request. Please do not send
duplicate emails as this may also cause delays in processing times.

For matters not relating to the Freedom of Information Act 1982, your
email will not be actioned by the FOI Section. As a matter of guidance,
please refer to the information below to assist in the resolution of your
enquiry.

General information regarding travelling to Australia

Information for visitors to Australia can be found [1]here.

Information regarding potential visa options can be found [2]here.

Request for a copy of your Visa Refusal or Visa Grant letter

If you have lost or misplaced correspondence regarding your Visa Refusal
or Visa Grant, or you wish to confirm the authenticity of your Visa
Refusal or Visa Grant, you should contact the office where you lodged your
visa application.

Details of our offices located around the world can be found [3]here.

Queries regarding your current Visa status

You can check your visa details and conditions on the Department’s Visa
Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) portal. If you do not have the
necessary reference numbers to access the VEVO portal, please refer to the
online VEVO Request for Reference Number form, which is accessible at
[4]https://www.border.gov.au/about/corporat....

Refund of Visa fees

If you are seeking a refund of fees associated with your Visa, you should
contact the office where you lodged your visa application. Details of our
offices located around the world can be found [5]here.

Making a Visa application

Registered migration agents are authorised to provide immigration advice
or assistance, including advice regarding the lodgement of visa
applications. Further information on migration agents may be found
[6]here. Please note that the Department is unable to assist you in this
regard.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties in lodging your visa
application through ImmiAccount, you should submit your concerns through
the ImmiAccount Technical Support Form, which is accessible [7]here.

Australian Citizenship

If you are seeking evidence of your Australian Citizenship, you should
complete Form 119, which can be found [8]here. Details on where to send
your completed form may be found on page 8 of the Form. This form will
not be actioned by the FOI Section.

Information on how to apply for Australian citizenship, information for
Australian citizens and Australian Citizenship Day can be found [9]here.

Movement Records/Travel History

If you are seeking evidence of your own travel movements/history you
should complete Form 1359, which can be found [10]here. Details on where
to send your request may be found on page 1 and 2 of the Form. This
request will not be actioned by the FOI Section.

Superannuation – Evidence of Immigration Status

If you are seeking evidence of your own immigration status for
superannuation purposes, you should complete Form 1194, which can be found
[11]here. Details on where to send your completed form may be found on
page 1 of the Form. This request will not be actioned by the FOI Section.

Update Passport Details

Information on how to update your address or passport details can be found
[12]here.

Notification of Change in Circumstances

If you have lodged a visa application and your circumstances have changed,
you should submit [13]Form 1022 to the office where you lodged your visa
application. Details of our offices located around the world can be found
[14]here. The FOI Section does not process these forms.

Notification of incorrect answers

If you wish to correct answers that you have provided to the Department
either:

· in a visa application

· on a passenger card or

· in response to a notice given to you by the Department inviting
you to comment on possible non-compliance with an obligation to correct
incorrect information

you should submit [15]Form 1023 to the Department. Details of our offices
located around the world can be found [16]here. The FOI Section does not
process these forms.

Duty Free concessions

Information relating to duty free concessions can be found [17]here.

General Enquiries

If you have a question, which has not been answered above, and which is
about visa, citizenship, travel or trade, including bringing goods in and
out of Australia, please refer to our general enquiries web form [18]here.

Yours Sincerely

FOI Helpdesk

Freedom of Information Section

Department of Immigration and Border Protection

Information updated 16 December 2016

Important Notice: The content of this email is intended only for use by
the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received
this email by mistake, please advise the sender and delete the message and
attachments immediately. This email, including attachments, may contain
confidential, sensitive, legally privileged and/or copyright information.

Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information
by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
DIBP respects your privacy and has obligations under the Privacy Act 1988.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this
email.

References

FA 17 06 00398 Acknowledgement Letter 1.pdf

84K Download View as HTML

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 17/06/00398; ADF2017/61807

Dear Mr Crossland

Please find attached the acknowledgement of receipt for your recent FOI
Request.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you wish to discuss.

Yours sincerely

Karen Chapman

Freedom of Information Section

Department of Immigration and Border Protection

UNCLASSIFIED

Important Notice: The content of this email is intended only for use by
the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received
this email by mistake, please advise the sender and delete the message and
attachments immediately. This email, including attachments, may contain
confidential, sensitive, legally privileged and/or copyright information.

Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information
by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
DIBP respects your privacy and has obligations under the Privacy Act 1988.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this
email.

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED
Dear Mr Crossland,

We apologise for the delay in processing your request. The Department has seen a significant increase in the number of FOI requests received by this agency. As a result there are expected delays involved with the processing of FOI requests at the present time. Generally, requests will be processed in the order that they are received. The Department endeavours to finalise requests as quickly as possible.

The Department is committed to processing FOI requests within statutory timeframes as outlined under the FOI Act, however there are a number of reasons why an FOI request may be delayed, including the size, complexity of the request and increased volumes of FOI requests.

The Department continues to undertake steps to improve FOI processing efficiencies and reduce processing times. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) is aware of the Department’s FOI caseload size and timeliness.

Further, I note your comments that the statutory due date for you to receive a decision has now passed. While you are able to approach the Information Commissioner in accordance with section 54N [IC review applications-application] of the FOI Act, we wish to reassure you that we are still in consultation with the relevant business area in relation to your request. We are not able to provide an estimated date of finalisation at this stage, as this will partly depend on the information and documents found/not found by the relevant business area. We can assure you, however, that the assigned FOI officer has given priority to your request and is working with the relevant business area in order to make an informed decision, as soon as possible.

We appreciate your patience in this matter.

Regards,
FOI Section
Department of Immigration and Border Protection

show quoted sections

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Your email has been received by the Department of Immigration and Border
Protection’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Section. Please note that we
will only action and respond to FOI requests and other matters relating to
the Freedom of Information Act 1982.

If your email is a valid FOI request, the Department will contact you
shortly to acknowledge your request.

For matters not relating to the Freedom of Information Act 1982, your
email will not be actioned by the FOI Section. As a matter of guidance,
please refer to the information below to assist in the resolution of your
enquiry.

General information regarding travelling to Australia

Information for visitors to Australia can be found [1]here.

Information regarding potential visa options can be found [2]here.

Queries regarding a current visa application

If your inquiry relates to a specific visa application case, you should
direct your enquiry to the appropriate case officer or processing centre.
The FOI Section is not the appropriate contact point for your enquiry.

You can use your application ID in ImmiAccount to search and view your
application before it has been decided. Alternatively, you may wish to
contact your nearest Australian Immigration office outside of Australia.
Contact information can be found at
[3]http://www.border.gov.au/about/contact/o....

Request for a copy of your Visa Refusal or Visa Grant letter

If you have lost or misplaced correspondence regarding your Visa Refusal
or Visa Grant, or you wish to confirm the authenticity of your Visa
Refusal or Visa Grant, you should contact the office where you lodged your
visa application.

Details of our offices located around the world can be found [4]here.

Queries regarding your current Visa status

You can check your visa details and conditions on the Department’s Visa
Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) portal. If you do not have the
necessary reference numbers to access the VEVO portal, please refer to the
online VEVO Request for Reference Number form, which is accessible at
[5]https://www.border.gov.au/about/corporat....

Refund of Visa fees

If you are seeking a refund of fees associated with your Visa, you should
contact the office where you lodged your visa application. Details of our
offices located around the world can be found [6]here.

Making a Visa application

Registered migration agents are authorised to provide immigration advice
or assistance, including advice regarding the lodgement of visa
applications. Further information on migration agents may be found
[7]here. Please note that the Department is unable to assist you in this
regard.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties in lodging your visa
application through ImmiAccount, you should submit your concerns through
the ImmiAccount Technical Support Form, which is accessible [8]here.

Australian Citizenship

If you are seeking evidence of your Australian Citizenship, you should
complete Form 119, which can be found [9]here. Details on where to send
your completed form may be found on page 8 of the Form. This form will
not be actioned by the FOI Section.

Information on how to apply for Australian citizenship, information for
Australian citizens and Australian Citizenship Day can be found [10]here.

Movement Records/Travel History

If you are seeking evidence of your own travel movements/history you
should complete Form 1359, which can be found [11]here. Details on where
to send your request may be found on page 1 and 2 of the Form. This
request will not be actioned by the FOI Section.

Superannuation – Evidence of Immigration Status

If you are seeking evidence of your own immigration status for
superannuation purposes, you should complete Form 1194, which can be found
[12]here. Details on where to send your completed form may be found on
page 1 of the Form. This request will not be actioned by the FOI Section.

Update Passport Details

Information on how to update your address or passport details can be found
[13]here.

Notification of Change in Circumstances

If you have lodged a visa application and your circumstances have changed,
you should submit [14]Form 1022 to the office where you lodged your visa
application. Details of our offices located around the world can be found
[15]here. The FOI Section does not process these forms.

Notification of incorrect answers

If you wish to correct answers that you have provided to the Department
either:

· in a visa application

· on a passenger card or

· in response to a notice given to you by the Department inviting
you to comment on possible non-compliance with an obligation to correct
incorrect information

you should submit [16]Form 1023 to the Department. Details of our offices
located around the world can be found [17]here. The FOI Section does not
process these forms.

Duty Free concessions

Information relating to duty free concessions can be found [18]here.

General Enquiries

If you have a question, which has not been answered above, and which is
about visa, citizenship, travel or trade, including bringing goods in and
out of Australia, please refer to our general enquiries web form [19]here.

Yours Sincerely

FOI Helpdesk

Freedom of Information Section

Department of Immigration and Border Protection

Information updated 11 August 2017

Important Notice: The content of this email is intended only for use by
the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received
this email by mistake, please advise the sender and delete the message and
attachments immediately. This email, including attachments, may contain
confidential, sensitive, legally privileged and/or copyright information.

Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information
by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
DIBP respects your privacy and has obligations under the Privacy Act 1988.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this
email.

References

UNCLASSIFIED
FA 17/06/00398-R1

Dear Mr Crossland
UNCLASSIFIED

The Department has received your request for an internal review. This internal review is in relation to the deemed decision which was due on 12 July 2017.

In accordance with s.54C(2) the Department has allocated your request for internal review to an officer other than the original decision maker to conduct the review.

Processing timeframe
The standard processing of an internal review is 30 days. Therefore, a decision on your internal review is due by 14 September 2017.

The Department will endeavour to finalise your request as quickly as possible.

Contacting the Department for your internal review
To contact the Department in relation to your internal review please contact [email address] and quote your FA reference number.

For future correspondence please note the new FA reference number for your internal review at the top of this email.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you wish to discuss.

Kind regards,

FOI Reviews Team
Freedom of Information, Privacy & Records Management Branch
Corporate Services Division | Corporate Group
Department of Immigration and Border Protection

show quoted sections

FA 17 06 00398 FOI Decision K Crossland.pdf

137K Download View as HTML

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 17/06/00398; ADF2017/61807

Dear Mr Crossland,

I refer to your FOI request received on 12 June 2017, seeking access to
the following:

"documents relating to the feedback form the public consultation of the
"Strengthening the test for Australian citizenship" paper announced on
20/04/2017.

1) The number of submissions received

2) The number of submissions representing multiple parties viewpoints,
for

example petitions, and how many individuals were represented by each

3) How the feedback was considered by DIBP and integrated into the
legislation

4) The count of supportive and non-supportive submissions relating to:

a. The extension to the PR residency requirement from one to four
years

b. The retrospective application of the legislation from the date of
the

announcement

c. A transitional arrangement as an alternative to a retrospective
for existing

visa holders

d. Introduction of the English language test"

The Department has made a decision on this request. Please see attached
the signed decision record.

This request has now been closed.

Yours sincerely

FOI Section

FOI, Privacy and records Management Branch

Corporate Services

Department of Immigration and Border Protection

Email: [1][email address]

UNCLASSIFIED

Important Notice: The content of this email is intended only for use by
the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received
this email by mistake, please advise the sender and delete the message and
attachments immediately. This email, including attachments, may contain
confidential, sensitive, legally privileged and/or copyright information.

Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information
by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
DIBP respects your privacy and has obligations under the Privacy Act 1988.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this
email.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]

UNCLASSIFIED

FA 17/06/00398-R1

Dear Mr Crossland

I refer to your application for an internal review of your FOI request –
deemed refusal under s.54 of the FOI Act.

The scope of your FOI request was:

Documents relating to the feedback form the public consultation of the
"Strengthening the test for Australian citizenship" paper announced on
20/04/2017.

1) The number of submissions received

2) The number of submissions representing multiple parties viewpoints,
for

example petitions, and how many individuals were represented by each

3) How the feedback was considered by DIBP and integrated into the
legislation

4) The count of supportive and non-supportive submissions relating to:

a. The extension to the PR residency requirement from one to four
years

b. The retrospective application of the legislation from the date of
the

announcement

c. A transitional arrangement as an alternative to a retrospective
for existing

visa holders

d. Introduction of the English language test

I note the Department has now issued you with a decision on 29 August
2017, which was made following the date of your review application.

As the Department has made a decision on this request, would you please
advise if you wish to continue with the internal review or if you would
like to withdraw the internal review?

If you wish to proceed with the internal review, please provide
contentions supporting your reasonst for the decision to be reviewed.

Regards

FOI Review Officer

Freedom of Information Section | Department of Immigration and Border
Protection
E: [1][email address]

UNCLASSIFIED

Important Notice: The content of this email is intended only for use by
the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received
this email by mistake, please advise the sender and delete the message and
attachments immediately. This email, including attachments, may contain
confidential, sensitive, legally privileged and/or copyright information.

Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information
by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
DIBP respects your privacy and has obligations under the Privacy Act 1988.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this
email.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]

UNCLASSIFIED

FA 17/06/00398-R1

Dear Mr Crossland

Please provide a response to the email sent to you on 12 September 2017 as
per the below email chain by COB 4 October 2017.

Regards

FOI Review Officer

Freedom of Information Section | Department of Immigration and Border
Protection
E: [1][email address]

UNCLASSIFIED

From: FOI Reviews mailbox
Sent: Tuesday, 12 September 2017 1:30 PM
To: '[FOI #3626 email]'
<[FOI #3626 email]>
Subject: HPRM: Internal review of FOI request - FA 17/06/00398-R1
[SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

UNCLASSIFIED

FA 17/06/00398-R1

Dear Mr Crossland

I refer to your application for an internal review of your FOI request –
deemed refusal under s.54 of the FOI Act.

The scope of your FOI request was:

Documents relating to the feedback form the public consultation of the
"Strengthening the test for Australian citizenship" paper announced on
20/04/2017.

1) The number of submissions received

2) The number of submissions representing multiple parties viewpoints,
for

example petitions, and how many individuals were represented by each

3) How the feedback was considered by DIBP and integrated into the
legislation

4) The count of supportive and non-supportive submissions relating to:

a. The extension to the PR residency requirement from one to four
years

b. The retrospective application of the legislation from the date of
the

announcement

c. A transitional arrangement as an alternative to a retrospective
for existing

visa holders

d. Introduction of the English language test

I note the Department has now issued you with a decision on 29 August
2017, which was made following the date of your review application.

As the Department has made a decision on this request, would you please
advise if you wish to continue with the internal review or if you would
like to withdraw the internal review?

If you wish to proceed with the internal review, please provide
contentions supporting your reasonst for the decision to be reviewed.

Regards

FOI Review Officer

Freedom of Information Section | Department of Immigration and Border
Protection
E: [2][email address]

UNCLASSIFIED

Important Notice: The content of this email is intended only for use by
the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received
this email by mistake, please advise the sender and delete the message and
attachments immediately. This email, including attachments, may contain
confidential, sensitive, legally privileged and/or copyright information.

Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information
by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
DIBP respects your privacy and has obligations under the Privacy Act 1988.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this
email.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 17/06/00398-R1; ADF2017/61807

Dear Mr Crossland

Thank you for your FOI request received on 12 June 2017 for:

Documents relating to the feedback form the public consultation of the
"Strengthening the test for Australian citizenship" paper announced on
20/04/2017.

1) The number of submissions received

2) The number of submissions representing multiple parties viewpoints,
for

example petitions, and how many individuals were represented by each

3) How the feedback was considered by DIBP and integrated into the
legislation

4) The count of supportive and non-supportive submissions relating to:

a. The extension to the PR residency requirement from one to four
years

b. The retrospective application of the legislation from the date of
the

announcement

c. A transitional arrangement as an alternative to a retrospective
for existing

visa holders

d. Introduction of the English language test

Purpose of this email

I am writing to you about the email which I sent to you on 12 September
2017, and a follow up email on 27 September 2017. The email sought your
advice regarding whether you wished to proceed with an internal review of
your ‘deemed FOI decision’.

As the Department has made a decision on your FOI request which was
provided to you on 29 August 2017, and as I have not received a response
to my email, I advise that I have assumed you no longer wish to proceed
with your internal review application.

As such, this internal review has now been closed.

Yours sincerely

FOI Review Officer

Freedom of Information Section | Department of Immigration and Border
Protection
E: [1][email address]

UNCLASSIFIED

Important Notice: The content of this email is intended only for use by
the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received
this email by mistake, please advise the sender and delete the message and
attachments immediately. This email, including attachments, may contain
confidential, sensitive, legally privileged and/or copyright information.

Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information
by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
DIBP respects your privacy and has obligations under the Privacy Act 1988.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this
email.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]

Right to Know

Asher Hirsch left an annotation (June 13, 2017)

1 Attachment

Harpreet Singh Gill left an annotation (June 26, 2017)

Asher Hirsch left an annotation (August 14, 2017)

1 Attachment

Asher Hirsch left an annotation (August 29, 2017)

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