We expect to see an increase in the number of requests by the Department of Home Affairs for ‘personal identifiers’ as part of the process for all visa types including TSS visas.

Personal identifiers can include:

• fingerprints;
• measurements of the person’s height and weight;
• photograph or other image of the person’s face and shoulders;
• audio or a video recording of the person’s voice; and
• iris scans.

Collection of personal identifiers must occur at an approved centre and these are sometimes limited to major cities in specific countries.

Currently, personal identifiers are requested in a limited number of situations based on the applicant’s nationality or place of residence. However, legislation has been passed to broaden the circumstances in which personal identifiers will be requested and to make this a pre-condition of lodging a valid application.

This matters to employers because a request for biometrics can mean additional processing times and cost for employees. We will advise your employee early in the process if we believe a request is likely but, as it is often discretionary, we may only know once it is requested by the Department.

 

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