Communications with (representatives of) the Nauruan government about visa applications to Nauru

Dan West made this Freedom of Information request to Department of Home Affairs

This request has been closed to new correspondence from the public body. Contact us if you think it ought be re-opened.

Department of Home Affairs did not have the information requested.

Dear Department of Immigration and Border Protection,

I am writing to request all communications between (representatives of) the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and (representatives of) the government of Nauru regarding visa applications made to the relevant Nauruan authorities, both by Australian nationals and non-Australian nationals. This includes all formal and informal communications by post, e-mail, etc.

Yours faithfully,

Dan West

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

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://www.border.gov.au/about/corporat...
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. http://www.border.gov.au/Forms/Documents...
9. http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Citi
10. http://www.border.gov.au/FormsAndDocumen...
11. http://www.border.gov.au/Forms/Documents...
12. http://www.border.gov.au/Lega/Lega/Form/...
13. http://www.border.gov.au/Forms/Documents...
14. http://www.border.gov.au/about/contact/o...
15. http://www.border.gov.au/Forms/Documents...
16. http://www.border.gov.au/about/contact/o...
17. http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Ente/Duty-...
18. http://www.border.gov.au/about/contact/m...

Karen CHAPMAN,

1 Attachment

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 17/04/00501; ADF2017/40087

 

Dear Mr West

 

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

FOI Officer / 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

Dear Mr West,

I am writing to you in regards to your FOI request FA 17/04/00501, dated 17/4/2017.

I note that you have not specified a date range for this request, and as such the timeframe could be regarded as extremely broad. It would assist the Department in the processing of your request if you could specify a relevant timeframe, for example, the previous 12 months. Could you please confirm a date range for your request?

In regards to the nature of the visa applications that are relevant to the scope of your request, it would assist the Department if you could please specify the cohort you are referring to. You have specified visa applications "both by Australian nationals and non-Australian nationals". This effectively captures all nationals. The scope of this request could result in the request being too broad to process and potentially result in a substantial and unreason diversion of the resources of the Department under s.24 of the FOI Act. It would help in responding to your request if you could be more specific with the type of individuals you are referring to; for example, Departmental Staff, Contracted Service Providers or visa applicants from a specific country.

It would assist the Department with the processing of your request if you are able to respond by COB Friday 5th May 2017.

with regards,
Helen Simons
FOI Officer|Freedom of Information Section Freedom of Information, Privacy and Records Management Branch | Corporate Support Division Department of Immigration and Border Protection
E: [email address]

-----Original Message-----
From: Dan West [mailto:[FOI #3420 email]]
Sent: Monday, 17 April 2017 5:07 PM
To: FOI
Subject: HPRM: Freedom of Information request - Communications with (representatives of) the Nauruan government about visa applications to Nauru

Dear Department of Immigration and Border Protection,

I am writing to request all communications between (representatives of) the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and (representatives of) the government of Nauru regarding visa applications made to the relevant Nauruan authorities, both by Australian nationals and non-Australian nationals. This includes all formal and informal communications by post, e-mail, etc.

Yours faithfully,

Dan West

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

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #3420 email]

Is [email address] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests to Department of Immigration and Border Protection? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_re...

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

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.

hide quoted sections

Dear Helen Simons,

Thank you for your response and apologies for my delayed response. I am writing to you again regarding the clarifications you requested. As per the date range of my request, I would like to limit this date range from May 2013 to May 2017. As per the cohort I am referring to, I understand that it is too expansive in scope. I therefore would like to limit it to European or US nationals only who requested a Nauruan tourist, business or research visa.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Yours sincerely,

Dan West

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 17/04/00501; ADF2017/40087

 

Dear Mr West

 

I refer to your request for access to documents relating to:

 

            Original scope received on 17 April 2017:

All communications between (representatives of) the Department of
Immigration and Border Protection and (representatives of) the government
of Nauru regarding visa applications made to the relevant Nauruan
authorities, both by Australian nationals and non-Australian nationals.
This includes all formal and informal communications by post, e-mail, etc.

 

Which was then revised on 8/5/2017 to:

I would like to limit this date range from May 2013 to May 2017. As per
the cohort I am referring to, I understand that it is too expansive in
scope. I therefore would like to limit it to European or US nationals only
who requested a Nauruan tourist, business or research visa.

 

The current due date for your request is 17 May 2017. Due to the number of
requests currently being processed by our office, we will not be able to
finalise your request by the original due date. 

 

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.  This
would extend the due date for your request to Wednesday 14 June 2017.

 

It would assist the Department in managing its FOI caseload if you could
provide a response to this request by close of business, Tuesday 16 May
2017.

 

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

 

 

with regards,

Helen Simons

FOI Officer | Freedom of Information Section

Freedom of Information, Privacy & Records Management Branch

Corporate Services Division | Corporate Group

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]

Dear FOI,

Thank you for your response. I agree to the extension of the timeframe for the processing of my request by 30 days to Wednesday 14 June 2017.

Yours sincerely,

Dan West

Dear FOI,

I kindly would like to remind you of my FOI request relating to Communications with (representatives of) the Nauruan government about visa applications to Nauru. The extended due date for this request (14 June 2017) has now well passed. I look forward to your prompt response to my FOI request.

Thank you in advance,

Yours sincerely,

Dan West

UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Mr West,

Thank you for your email.

We anticipate finalising your request next week, if this changes we will let you know.

with regards,
Helen Simons
FOI Officer | Freedom of Information Section Freedom of Information, Privacy & Records Management Branch Corporate Services Division | Corporate Group Department of Immigration and Border Protection
E: [email address]

-----Original Message-----
From: Dan West [mailto:[FOI #3420 email]]
Sent: Tuesday, 20 June 2017 8:59 PM
To: FOI
Subject: HPRM: Re: Request for s.15AA extension of Time – FA 17/04/00501 [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

Dear FOI,

I kindly would like to remind you of my FOI request relating to Communications with (representatives of) the Nauruan government about visa applications to Nauru. The extended due date for this request (14 June 2017) has now well passed. I look forward to your prompt response to my FOI request.

Thank you in advance,

Yours sincerely,

Dan West

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

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 17/04/00501; ADF2017/40087

 

Dear Mr West

 

I refer to your request for access to documents relating to:

 

            Original scope received on 17 April 2017:

All communications between (representatives of) the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and (representatives of) the government of Nauru regarding visa applications made to the relevant Nauruan authorities, both by Australian nationals and non-Australian nationals.
This includes all formal and informal communications by post, e-mail, etc.

 

Which was then revised on 8/5/2017 to:

I would like to limit this date range from May 2013 to May 2017. As per the cohort I am referring to, I understand that it is too expansive in scope. I therefore would like to limit it to European or US nationals only who requested a Nauruan tourist, business or research visa.

 

The current due date for your request is 17 May 2017. Due to the number of requests currently being processed by our office, we will not be able to finalise your request by the original due date. 

 

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.  This would extend the due date for your request to Wednesday 14 June 2017.

 

It would assist the Department in managing its FOI caseload if you could provide a response to this request by close of business, Tuesday 16 May 2017.

 

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

 

 

with regards,

Helen Simons

FOI Officer | Freedom of Information Section

Freedom of Information, Privacy & Records Management Branch

Corporate Services Division | Corporate Group

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #3420 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

1 Attachment

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 17/04/00501; ADF2017/40087

 

Dear Mr West,

 

I refer to your FOI request received on 17 April 2017, seeking access to
the following:

 

All communications between (representatives of) the Department of
Immigration and Border Protection and (representatives of) the government
of Nauru regarding visa applications made to the relevant Nauruan
authorities, both by Australian nationals and non-Australian nationals.
This includes all formal and informal communications by post, e-mail, etc.

 

The request was revised on 7 May 2017 to:

 

I would like to limit this date range from May 2013 to May 2017. As per
the cohort I am referring to, I understand that it is too expansive in
scope. I therefore would like to limit it to European or US nationals only
who requested a Nauruan tourist, business or research visa.

 

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

 

This request has now been closed.

 

 

with regards,

H Simons

FOI 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]