Australian visa holders no longer require passport labels

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) have replaced the Australian visa labelling system with an online verification system, which is accessible by both organisations and visa holders.

The Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) service is a free service that allows Australian visa holders to check the status of their visas online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The new system also means that DIAC will no longer issue paper labels for passports for Australian visa holders, so that more information regarding their particular visa (including the conditions of the visa) can be provided online and in a secure environment.

Employers can now check visa holders' information online, so that they can be certain they are eligible to work in Australia and are fully informed of the extent of their working rights in Australia.

"VEVO represents a huge step forward. Visa labels attached to passports provide limited information about visa status and conditions that apply to the visa. Now, visa holders can find out all about their visa status and visa conditions at the click of a button," said a departmental spokesperson.

The new system has proved to be popular, with more than 50,000 people and 13,000 organisations already using VEVO monthly. This has considerably taken the load off DIAC offices that checked the visa status of non-Australians, particularly for the thousands of the Australian working holiday visa holders who visited the offices each month last year to get their visa evidenced.

"It’s crucial that employers know for certain their employees are entitled to work," the DIAC spokesperson said.

The Australian Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people with emigrating to Australia.

Article by Jessica Bird, Australian Visa Bureau.