** This is an automated response. Please do not reply to this email **

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Your email has been received by the Department of Home Affairs 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 do not send duplicate emails
as this may cause delays in processing times.

For matters not relating to the Freedom of Information Act 1982, 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.

Checking your current Visa details and conditions

You can check your visa details and conditions on the Department’s Visa
Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) portal which can be accessed
[4]here.  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 [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, please refer
[8]here.

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

The FOI Section does not process these requests.

Movement Records/Travel History

If you are seeking evidence of your own travel movements/history, complete
the online International Movement Records form [10]here. These requests
are not actioned by the FOI Section.

Superannuation – Evidence of Immigration Status

Information about accessing your superannuation after leaving Australia
can be found [11]here.

The FOI Section does not process these requests.

Changes in your situation including updating your Passport Details

If your situation has changes or is about to change, you need to tell us
because your visa might be affected.

Information can be found [12]here about how to notify the Department of a
change in your situation.

The FOI Section does not process these requests.

Duty Free concessions

Information relating to duty free concessions can be found [13]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 [14]here.

FOI progress up-date enquires  

FOI requests are processed in date order from when they are submitted and
we are committed to finalising your request. Once we register your FOI
request, we will send you an acknowledgment letter.

Please read the acknowledgment letter carefully for further instructions,
such as if we require further information from you to progress your FOI
request.

After acknowledging your request, you can expect us to contact you as soon
as we have made a decision on your request. 

Due to the current high volume of requests, we will not provide progress
up-dates on current FOI requests.  No further response will be provided
unless it is necessary to process your request.

Please note that the FOI timeframes may be extended if your request seeks
a large volume of documents or the scope of your request is unspecific. To
ensure your FOI request can be processed as quickly as possible, please
make sure that the scope of your request clearly and precisely identifies
the specific documents you are seeking to access. 

If you wish to provide feedback about the Department’s processing of your
request, you may do so by contacting the Department’s Global Feedback Unit
at
[15]https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-and-...

Afghanistan situation and contacting the Department of Home Affairs:

Thank you for your email. Foreign nationals, including from Afghanistan,
need a valid visa to enter Australia.  People will not be able to settle
in Australia if they arrive illegally.

The Government is working to ensure that visa options continue to be
available to Afghan nationals, both within Afghanistan and those displaced
from their home country, through Australia’s long-standing Humanitarian
Program. Priority is given to persecuted minorities, women and children,
and those who have links to Australia. All applicants must meet the visa
criteria including character, security and health requirements. Afghan
nationals who meet the requirements for a humanitarian visa and wish to
seek Australia’s help are strongly encouraged to make an application. 

Information on the process for making an application for Australia’s
Humanitarian Program is available on the Department of Home Affairs
[16]website.

In addition to the Humanitarian Program, there are other [17]visa options
available for people who wish to migrate on the basis of their skills or
family relationships in Australia. 

Note: The correct process must be followed to make a valid application.
You cannot apply by sending an email to the Minister’s Office or to a
general Departmental mailbox.  

Thank you

Information updated 30 August 2021

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. 
The Department of Home Affairs and ABF respect your privacy and have
obligations under the Privacy Act 1988.  

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

References

Visible links
1. http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visi
2. http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1
3. http://www.border.gov.au/about/contact/o...
4. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/al...
5. http://www.border.gov.au/about/contact/o...
6. https://www.mara.gov.au/
7. https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa/Immi...
8. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizens...
9. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizens...
10. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/entering...
11. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/entering...
12. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/change-i...
13. http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Ente/Duty-...
14. http://www.border.gov.au/about/contact/m...
15. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-and-...
16. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/ge...
17. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/ge...

hide quoted sections

** This is an automated response. Please do not reply to this email **

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Your email has been received by the Department of Home Affairs Freedom of
Information (FOI) Section.

The FOI section only responds to valid FOI requests and other matters
relating to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act).  Visit the
FOI Information on our Website for more information on what [1]information
can be accessed under the FOI Act 1982.

What is a valid FOI request?

A valid FOI request may be for:

- documents you previously provided to the Department as part of a visa
application

- a copy of a decision record made by the Department

- statistical information held by the Department

- papers or briefings the Department prepared.

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

A valid FOI request must:

o Be in writing and state the request is for consideration under the FOI
Act.
o Have enough information for us to be able to identify the documents
you are seeking.
o Provide a physical or electronic address where we can send our
decision.

Do not send duplicate emails as this may cause longer delays in processing
times.

What is an invalid FOI request?

Invalid FOI requests may include:

- Making a visa application

- Seeking evidence of your Australian Citizenship

- Seeking information about traveling to or departing Australia.

If your email is not specific an FOI request or FOI related matter, the
FOI section will not respond.

What happens next?

Once we receive and have registered your FOI request, we will send you an
acknowledgment letter by email. Read the acknowledgment letter carefully
for further instructions.

FOI requests are generally processed in the order they are received.

We will contact you as soon as the Department has assessed your request
under the FOI Act.

We’re responding to a large volume of requests

Due to the current high volume of requests, we will not provide progress
up-dates on current FOI requests.  This is to ensure we are able to
process as many requests as possible, including yours.

If processing your request is going to take us a lot of time and because
it is large or unspecific, it may be refused.  

Still have a question or request?

If you still have a question, which has not been answered above, and which
is about the work of the Department, use our general enquiries web page

[2]https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-sup...

You may be able to resolve your enquiry faster using these other resources

We only action and respond to FOI requests that are valid under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982. You may be able to resolve your enquiry
faster by using these resources:

General information about travelling to Australia:

The Department of Home Affairs, “Entering Australia” site
[3]https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/entering...

·       For visa and our requirements for entry to Australia
[4]https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/ge...

For a copy of your visa refusal or visa grant letter you should contact
the office where you lodged your visa application. 

·       To check your current visa details and conditions use the
Department’s Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) portal which can
be accessed [5]here

·       If you are experiencing technical difficulties in lodging your
visa application through ImmiAccount, submit your concerns through the
ImmiAccount Technical Support Form, which is accessible [6]here.

·       For evidence of your Australian Citizenship please refer [7]here.
The FOI Section does not process these requests.

·       For movement records or travel history complete the online
International Movement Records form [8]here. The FOI Section does not
process these requests.

·       To update your details, including your Passport details, you can
notify the Department [9]here. The FOI Section does not process these
requests.

We appreciate your feedback         

We appreciate your feedback to help improve our services.

If you would like to provide feedback to us please use our Compliments,
complaints and suggestions form.
[10]https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-and-...

Thank you

Information updated 5 November 2021

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. 
The Department of Home Affairs and ABF respect your privacy and have
obligations under the Privacy Act 1988.  

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

References

Visible links
1. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/access-an...
2. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-sup...
3. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/entering...
4. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/ge...
5. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/al...
6. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-sup...
7. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizens...
8. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/entering...
9. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/change-i...
10. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-and-...