Processing of FOI requests

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 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, you should contact
the office where you lodged your visa application for further information.

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 [4]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
[5]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 [6]here.

Australian Citizenship

If you are seeking evidence of your Australian Citizenship, you should
complete Form 119, which can be found [7]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 [8]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 [9]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
[10]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
[11]here.

Notification of Change in Circumstances

If you have lodged a visa application and your circumstances have changed,
you should submit [12]Form 1022 to the office where you lodged your visa
application. Details of our offices located around the world can be found
[13]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 [14]Form 1023 to the Department. Details of our offices
located around the world can be found [15]here. The FOI Section does not
process these forms.

Duty Free concessions

Information relating to duty free concessions can be found [16]here.

General Enquiries

If you have a question, which has not been answered above, and which is
about visa, citizenship, trave or trade, including brining goods in and
out of Australia, please refer to our general enquiries web form [17]here.

Yours Sincerely

FOI Helpdesk

Freedom of Information Section

Department of Immigration and Border Protection

Information updated 30 September 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

Our references: FA 16/11/00182; ADF2016/65888

Good morning Mr Fairless

Acknowledgement of Freedom of Information Access request

On 4 November 2016, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection
(the Department) received an access request under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act).

Your request has been allocated FOI request number FA 16/11/00182. Please
include your FOI request number in all correspondence with the Freedom of
Information (FOI) Section.

Scope of request

You have requested access to:

'all internal correspondence within the Department regarding the
processing of FOI requests, specifically documents that relate to the
internal processing of FOI requests, not FOI requests themselves. I don't
consent to the redaction of departmental employee names or positions, but
feel free to redact contact numbers. Please limit the time period to the
last 12 months, and exclude FOI requests for personal information'

I note that the scope of your request is potentially broad in its nature,
and in order to clarify the type of documents that you intend to capture
by the scope of your request, could you please confirm the following:

· Your request is for documents addressed to the FOI Section,
either to the Director, or the Section in generally, regarding broad
instructions and directions concerning FOI requests generally, and
specifically excludes correspondence about the management of individual
FOI requests.

· You do not require any correspondence that concerns the
processing of requests for personal information, noting that the majority
of the 24,000 requests processed by the Department in the past 12 months
have been requests from individuals for access to their own personal
information.

· The scope of your request relates specifically to general policy
and/or instructions, from the Executive regarding the processing of
non-personal information requests, to the FOI Section.

If the above is an accurate reflection of the intent of your request, may
I suggest that we modify the wording of your request to clarify the type
of documents you are seeking access to, as follows:

'all correspondence from the Executive to the FOI Section, either
generally or to the Director, which specifically contains policy or
instructions regarding the general processing of FOI requests by the
Department, but expressly excluding correspondence that relates to the
processing of specific FOI requests. I do not require any correspondence
that relates specifically to the processing of the FOI requests that the
Department receives from individuals for access to their own personal
information. I don't consent to the redaction of departmental employee
names or positions, but feel free to redact contact numbers. Please limit
the time period to the last 12 months'

Request for an extension of time

Please be aware that the Department has seen a significant increase in the
number of FOI requests received. 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 will endeavour to finalise your request as quickly as
possible.

For this reason the Department seeks your agreement (under s.15AA of the
FOI Act) to extend the timeframe for the processing of your request by 30
days. It would assist the Department in managing its FOI caseload if you
could provide a response to this request by close of business, Friday 11
November 2016.

Contacting the FOI Section

If you wish to discuss your access request you may contact the FOI Section
using the details provided below

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

Yours sincerely

FOI Officer/Freedom of Information Section

Information Management Branch | Corporate Services Division

Corporate Group

Department of Immigration and Border Protection
E: [1][email address]

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

Dear Mr Fairless,

I need to discuss your request with you to obtain further clarity. I think telephone will be easiest; if you could send an email to [email address] from a private email address, I'll send you my telephone number so that we can discuss further.

Regards,

Brad Collins
Freedom of Information Officer
Information Management Branch
Department of Immigration and Border Protection [email address]

-----Original Message-----
From: Ben Fairless [mailto:[FOI #2546 email]]
Sent: Friday, 11 November 2016 10:45 AM
To: FOI
Subject: Re: FOI Request - FA 16/11/00182 [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

Dear FOI,

Responses below:

· Your request is for documents addressed to the FOI Section,
either to the Director, or the Section in generally, regarding broad instructions and directions concerning FOI requests generally, and specifically excludes correspondence about the management of individual FOI requests.

My response: My request is for documents addressed to the FOI section, and documents internally within the FOI section, that relate to the processing of all requests or a group of requests by a specific subject (for example FOI requests on Nauru).

· You do not require any correspondence that concerns the
processing of requests for personal information, noting that the majority of the 24,000 requests processed by the Department in the past 12 months have been requests from individuals for access to their own personal information.

My Response: I don't require anything related to a request for personal information unless it's part of a group of requests being processed in a specific way. Personal information of members of the public are explicitly excluded.

· The scope of your request relates specifically to general policy
and/or instructions, from the Executive regarding the processing of non-personal information requests, to the FOI Section.

My Response: Please refer to my previous answers for information on what sort of documents I'm requesting.

If it's easier, is there someone I can call to discuss this request further?

Thanks,
Ben Fairless

-----Original Message-----

Our references: FA 16/11/00182; ADF2016/65888

Good morning Mr Fairless

Acknowledgement of Freedom of Information Access request

On 4 November 2016, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (the Department) received an access request under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act).

Your request has been allocated FOI request number FA 16/11/00182. Please include your FOI request number in all correspondence with the Freedom of Information (FOI) Section.

Scope of request

You have requested access to:

'all internal correspondence within the Department regarding the processing of FOI requests, specifically documents that relate to the internal processing of FOI requests, not FOI requests themselves. I don't consent to the redaction of departmental employee names or positions, but feel free to redact contact numbers. Please limit the time period to the last 12 months, and exclude FOI requests for personal information'

I note that the scope of your request is potentially broad in its nature, and in order to clarify the type of documents that you intend to capture by the scope of your request, could you please confirm the following:

· Your request is for documents addressed to the FOI Section, either to the Director, or the Section in generally, regarding broad instructions and directions concerning FOI requests generally, and specifically excludes correspondence about the management of individual FOI requests.

· You do not require any correspondence that concerns the processing of requests for personal information, noting that the majority of the 24,000 requests processed by the Department in the past 12 months have been requests from individuals for access to their own personal information.

· The scope of your request relates specifically to general policy and/or instructions, from the Executive regarding the processing of non-personal information requests, to the FOI Section.

If the above is an accurate reflection of the intent of your request, may I suggest that we modify the wording of your request to clarify the type of documents you are seeking access to, as follows:

'all correspondence from the Executive to the FOI Section, either generally or to the Director, which specifically contains policy or instructions regarding the general processing of FOI requests by the Department, but expressly excluding correspondence that relates to the processing of specific FOI requests. I do not require any correspondence that relates specifically to the processing of the FOI requests that the Department receives from individuals for access to their own personal information. I don't consent to the redaction of departmental employee names or positions, but feel free to redact contact numbers. Please limit the time period to the last 12 months'

Request for an extension of time

Please be aware that the Department has seen a significant increase in the number of FOI requests received. 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 will endeavour to finalise your request as quickly as possible.

For this reason the Department seeks your agreement (under s.15AA of the FOI Act) to extend the timeframe for the processing of your request by 30 days. It would assist the Department in managing its FOI caseload if you could provide a response to this request by close of business, Friday 11 November 2016.

Contacting the FOI Section

If you wish to discuss your access request you may contact the FOI Section using the details provided below

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

Yours sincerely

FOI Officer/Freedom of Information Section

Information Management Branch | Corporate Services Division

Corporate Group

Department of Immigration and Border Protection
E: [1][DIBP request email]

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:[DIBP request email]

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #2546 email]

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

UNCLASSIFIED

hide quoted sections

FOI FA 16 11 00182 Practical refusal notice.pdf

116K Download View as HTML

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 16/11/00182; ADF2016/65888

Dear Mr Fairless,

This email refers to your FOI request received on 2 November 2016 seeking
access to:

I would like to see all internal correspondence within the department
regarding the

processing of FOI requests.

I'm only interested in documents that relate to the internal processing of
FOI requests,

not FOI requests themselves. I don't consent to the redaction of
departmental

employee names or positions, but feel free to redact contact numbers.

Please limit the time period to the last 12 months, and exclude FOI
requests for

personal information.

On 11 November 2016 you provided the following clarification:

My request is for documents addressed to the FOI section, and documents
internally

within the FOI section, that relate to the processing of all requests or a
group of

requests by a specific subject (for example FOI requests on Nauru).

I don't require anything related to a request for personal information
unless it's part of

a group of requests being processed in a specific way. Personal
information of

members of the public are explicitly excluded.

The purpose of this email is to advise you, as required under s.24AB of
the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) that I consider a practical
refusal reason exists under s.24AA of the FOI Act in relation to your
request. I have set out my reasons and the actions required by you (to
consult on the scope of your request) in the attached notice.

The current due date for your FOI request is 2 December 2016. In
accordance with s.24AB(8) of the FOI Act the legislated processing time
for your request is suspended during the consultation period. Please refer
to the attached notice for further details.

The FOI Act requires that you respond to this notice before the end of the
consultation period, which is close of business Tuesday 13 December 2016.
You may consult with me by replying to this email: [1][email address]

Yours Sincerely,

Brad Collins
Freedom of Information Officer

Information Management Branch

Department of Immigration and Border Protection
[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

Dear Mr Fairless.

Thank you for your email. I was hoping to clarify what you were looking for with your request, in order to narrow the scope enough to make it manageable. As I mentioned in the notice I sent you yesterday, in its current form, your request is so unwieldy that it's going to be almost impossible to narrow it sufficiently within the current parameters. If you're able to provide some more targeted subject matter, then it may be possible to reduce the size of your request to be manageable.

I'm reluctant to send my phone number to be published on the Right To Know website; however, if you'd prefer to discuss this by phone, you can either send me your phone number and a convenient time to call, or an email from a different email account and I'll provide you my number that way. I'm also happy to discuss this by email if you would prefer.

Regards,

Brad Collins
Freedom of Information Officer
Information Management Branch
Department of Immigration and Border Protection [email address]

-----Original Message-----
From: Ben Fairless [mailto:[FOI #2546 email]]
Sent: Tuesday, 29 November 2016 5:50 PM
To: FOI
Subject: Re: Notice under s.24AB of FOI Act – FA 16/11/00182 [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

Dear Brad,

Can you give me your best contact number? I'm in Perth so if you work back later than others I can call you after 5pm AEDT, otherwise what did you need to clarify?

Yours sincerely,

Ben Fairless

-----Original Message-----

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 16/11/00182; ADF2016/65888

Dear Mr Fairless,

This email refers to your FOI request received on 2 November 2016 seeking access to:

I would like to see all internal correspondence within the department regarding the

processing of FOI requests.

I'm only interested in documents that relate to the internal processing of FOI requests,

not FOI requests themselves. I don't consent to the redaction of departmental

employee names or positions, but feel free to redact contact numbers.

Please limit the time period to the last 12 months, and exclude FOI requests for

personal information.

On 11 November 2016 you provided the following clarification:

My request is for documents addressed to the FOI section, and documents internally

within the FOI section, that relate to the processing of all requests or a group of

requests by a specific subject (for example FOI requests on Nauru).

I don't require anything related to a request for personal information unless it's part of

a group of requests being processed in a specific way. Personal information of

members of the public are explicitly excluded.

The purpose of this email is to advise you, as required under s.24AB of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) that I consider a practical refusal reason exists under s.24AA of the FOI Act in relation to your request. I have set out my reasons and the actions required by you (to consult on the scope of your request) in the attached notice.

The current due date for your FOI request is 2 December 2016. In accordance with s.24AB(8) of the FOI Act the legislated processing time for your request is suspended during the consultation period. Please refer to the attached notice for further details.

The FOI Act requires that you respond to this notice before the end of the consultation period, which is close of business Tuesday 13 December 2016.
You may consult with me by replying to this email: [1][email address]

Yours Sincerely,

Brad Collins
Freedom of Information Officer

Information Management Branch

Department of Immigration and Border Protection [2][DIBP request email]

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:[DIBP request email]

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #2546 email]

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

UNCLASSIFIED

hide quoted sections

FOI FA 16 11 00182 deemed withdrawal notice.pdf

107K Download View as HTML

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 16/11/00182; ADF2016/65888

Dear Mr Fairless,

Thank you for your FOI request received on 2 November 2016 for:

I would like to see all internal correspondence within the department
regarding the processing of FOI requests.

I'm only interested in documents that relate to the internal processing of
FOI requests, not FOI requests themselves. I don't consent to the
redaction of departmental employee names or positions, but feel free to
redact contact numbers.

Please limit the time period to the last 12 months, and exclude FOI
requests for personal information.

On 11 November 2016 you provided the following clarification:

My request is for documents addressed to the FOI section, and documents
internally within the FOI section, that relate to the processing of all
requests or a group of requests by a specific subject (for example FOI
requests on Nauru).

I don't require anything related to a request for personal information
unless it's part of a group of requests being processed in a specific way.
Personal information of members of the public are explicitly excluded.

I am writing to you about the s.24AB notice that I sent to you on 29
November 2016.. The consultation period under the FOI Act expired at
close of business on 13 December 2016. As you did not respond to me by the
end of the consultation period, your request is deemed to have been
withdrawn by the operation of the FOI Act (s.24AB (6) and (7)). The
attached letter provides more detail.

Yours sincerely,

Brad Collins
Freedom of Information Officer

Information Management Branch

Department of Immigration and Border Protection
[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]

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