Internal Risk Documentation on Vietnamese Visa Applicants

Oliver Smith made this Freedom of Information request to Department of Home Affairs

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Currently waiting for a response from Department of Home Affairs, they should respond promptly and normally no later than October 08, 2025 (details).

Dear Department of Home Affairs,

I seek access to documents held by the Department of Home Affairs that supplement, update, or go beyond the publicly available processing instructions on LEGENDcom, specifically:

Current internal documents (including but not limited to risk profiles, country information notes, operational risk assessments, risk indicators, or supplementary decision-maker guidance) which address:
1. Identified risks or concerns associated with Vietnamese passport holders applying for:
- Visitor visa (subclass 600)
- Transit visa (subclass 771)
- Student visa (subclass 500)
- Any mitigating factors or considerations staff are instructed to apply in relation to those risks.
2. Internal correspondence, memoranda, or briefing notes (including emails and attachments) created within the last 12 months between:
- Onshore Department of Home Affairs staff, and
- Staff at the Australian Embassy in Hanoi or the Australian Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City,
- where the subject matter concerns refusal trends, risk management, or assessment practices for Vietnamese applicants for the above visa subclasses.
3. Any current country risk assessments or intelligence summaries relating specifically to Vietnamese nationals as they pertain to visa decision-making, where these are not publicly available on LEGENDcom or your website.

For clarity, I do not seek access to:
- Material already published on LEGENDcom;
- Personal information about individual applicants;
- Drafts or duplicates of already-released public material.

I request that the documents be provided in electronic form. If parts of the documents are considered exempt, I request access to edited copies with exempt material deleted pursuant to section 22 of the FOI Act.

Please let me know if any aspect of this request requires clarification.

Yours faithfully,
Oliver Smith

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Your Query General Information
If you applied [4]Our online services (homeaffairs.gov.au)
online, you can
check your visa [5]Ceremony wait times (homeaffairs.gov.au)
application status
in [3]ImmiAccount.
I want to access [6]Check visa details and conditions
my visa details (homeaffairs.gov.au)
I want to apply [7]Applying online in ImmiAccount
for a visa to (homeaffairs.gov.au)
Australia
My visa has [8]Your visa is expiring or has expired
expired (homeaffairs.gov.au)
I want to apply [9]Become a citizen (homeaffairs.gov.au)
for Australian
Citizenship or [10]Evidence of citizenship and certificates Change
access/amend my a citizenship certificate (homeaffairs.gov.au)
citizenship
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I want my travel [11]Requesting travel records (homeaffairs.gov.au)
records in and out
of Australia
I am having Use our [12]technical guide to troubleshoot in
technical problems [13]ImmiAccount.
lodging an
application If you are still unable to resolve your issue submit
the [14]ImmiAccount Technical Support Form
I wish to provide Provide information by [15]ImmiAccount. After you
information about submit your application, use [16]ImmiAccount to:
a visa application
or provide ·       apply for a bridging visa
information about
changes to my ·       access the My Health Declarations service
situation
·       attach documents to your online application

·       check the progress of your application

· update your passport or address details

· notify of incorrect information in your
application

Further details and instructions refer to
[17]ImmiAccount Help & Support

[18]Changes in your situation (homeaffairs.gov.au)
I have made an If you have been sent a request letter to complete
appointment for a health but are experiencing delays you can attach
health/biometrics details of your appointment to [19]ImmiAccount.
examination
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my visa or (homeaffairs.gov.au)
citizenship
application
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my address,
contact or
passport details
Can my visa fee be Refunds can only be made in very limited
refunded? circumstances governed by legislation.

For further information see [22]Getting a refund
(homeaffairs.gov.au)
Visa eligibility Information on [23]visa options is available on the
query Department’s website.
Since my visa was [24]Changes in your situation (homeaffairs.gov.au)
granted I have had
a child born in
Australia
I want to report [25]Border Watch Online Report (homeaffairs.gov.au)
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customs and trade
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Internal Risk Documentation on Vietnamese Visa Applicants

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