Police Certificate for Australian Visa

virajsen on 19/04/2023 - 21:19
Last edited 19/04/2023 - 21:21

Hi Guys,

I want to get a police certificate from my home country for the visa application.

an overseas police certificate from every country, including your home country, where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16

I'm 30 years old. Does a Police certificate need to cover the time from birth?

My parents don't remember the exact addresses of places we stayed when I was < 2 years.

After that, we moved to the place we have been living up to now.

Is it okay to provide a police clearance for the past 28 years?

Thanks for the help

Travel

Comments

  • randomusername2017 on 19/04/2023 - 21:25
    +6

    last 10 years since you turned 16

    • cookie2 on 19/04/2023 - 22:10
      +2

      Actually it's stating it in the context of any country you've spent that degree of timeframe since 16. It doesn't say that police certificate must cover years since 16yo.

  • Hybroid on 19/04/2023 - 21:31
    +2

    You only need the last 10 years since you turned 16.

    Since you're 30, you only need the last 10 years period. So from 20 years old till today 30 years old.

  • jjjaar on 19/04/2023 - 21:42
    +1

    an overseas police certificate from every country, including your home country, where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16

    From this text alone (noting that other information in the process may clarify my query), contrary to those above, I read the timeline as pertaining to which countries you need to provide the certificate for, but not the duration/history of the information that needs to be provided.

    So if you were to have lived in a country from age 0-18 and then again from 24-26, it’s not 100% clear from the text above whether the certificate needs to cover the 0-18 age period too.

    But if you lived in a country from age 0-19, and then another from 20-30, it’s clear you don’t need to provide info from the first.

    Edit: so it may be dependent on the VISA itself, but this page says:

    Police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date. They must cover:
    the time you turned 16 up to the issue date
    or
    the whole time you were in the country

    So, if this advice is applicable to your visa (it may well not be), it sounds like in your case, you can provide either from age 2, or age 16. But only from age 20 is not enough.

    • randomusername2017 on 19/04/2023 - 22:08
      +1

      They're only interested in the 10 years prior to application.

      • jjjaar on 19/04/2023 - 22:12
        +2

        But that’s not what it says. The “10 years” narrows down which countries you have to get the certificate from, not the coverage of information the certificate needs to have:

        We may ask you to provide a police certificate (also called a penal clearance certificate) from every country you lived in. If we ask you for one, it will usually be if you are over 17 and lived in any of the listed countries, including Australia, for at least 12 months in the past 10 years.

        Police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date. They must cover:
        the time you turned 16 up to the issue date
        or
        the whole time you were in the country

        We may ask you to provide a new police certificate if you have returned to the country after your previous certificate has expired

        • randomusername2017 on 19/04/2023 - 22:38

          Guessing the op has been here for at least 5 years..so AFP check required.
          Then whichever countries they have lived in cumulatively >12 months in the last 10 years will also require relevant penal clearances.

          Curious as to what form is requiring the 0-2yr residential addresses though…

    • cookie2 on 19/04/2023 - 22:11

      Agreed

    • Hybroid on 19/04/2023 - 22:15
      +4

      But only from age 20 is not enough.

      Nope. Last 10 years only.

      I have been through several Australian visa applications. You only need the last 10 years.

      To clarify: from 2013 to 2023, if you have lived in any other country for a period of 12+ months, you need a police certificate from that country. Anything pre-2013 is not relevant.

      • virajsen on 19/04/2023 - 23:18

        When I apply for a police report from my home country, will it be from 16 up to now or 16 up to when I came to Australia for studies, say (2018)?

    • Morien on 19/04/2023 - 23:09
      +3

      it’s not 100% clear from the text above whether the certificate needs to cover the 0-18 age period too.

      Yes it is.

      in the last 10 years since you turned 16

      • jjjaar on 20/04/2023 - 09:12

        No, see the wording is ambiguous and can absolutely be read as stating that the “10 years” narrows down which countries you have to get the certificate from, not the duration of information the certificate needs to have.

        I’m not saying I’m right, and as others above have been through the process, I’d listen to them for sure, but I’m just saying that if the wording is ambiguous, it’s worth getting 100% clarity instead of just assuming, as they will just knock you back if it’s wrong.

        • lgacb08 on 20/04/2023 - 09:35
          +3

          Yes it's, just poor interpretation making it hard to everyone who read your comment. It is basically in the last 10 years only, and if you were at some stage below 16 during that last 10 years (not applicable to OP) then you'd only need to cover the period from 16 until now.

  • Gervais fanboy on 19/04/2023 - 22:02
    -1

    You need to speak with an experienced agent about this my man…
    Most people here haven’t gone through the immigration process like you are right now.

    • cookie2 on 19/04/2023 - 22:11
      +1

      They'll just take all your $$$ and get you to follow it all up.

      • Gervais fanboy on 19/04/2023 - 22:28
        +1

        Op’s probably going through his PR application.
        It’s one of the few times you allow yourself to be skimmed a little bit, too much at stake here.

        • cookie2 on 20/04/2023 - 06:31
          +2

          Disagree. If you have the time and ability, you're better off doing yourself imo. Nobody will be more invested than you will be yourself. It suited my situation and saved the other $4-8k they wanted to charge. But like I said, time and ability.

          • Gervais fanboy on 20/04/2023 - 09:08

            @cookie2: And I hear you, you are fundamentally right in principle.
            But I am only talking about this specific case. Op needs a specific piece of info cleared out about something and it’s worth paying a consult fee to see some experienced agent about it. They might be greedy as F but they still know their stuff.

    • deme on 19/04/2023 - 22:21

      Don't do this, instead just call https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/

      • Gervais fanboy on 19/04/2023 - 22:29
        +2

        About matters like these, they’ll only direct you to the website and regurgitate that same official sounding drivel.

        • deme on 19/04/2023 - 22:53

          lies

          I've gone through this and I've called them and they were quite helpful

          • Gervais fanboy on 19/04/2023 - 23:11

            @deme:

            lies

            Seriously?

            they were quite helpful

            I have too, they were great.

            But I asked them something about claiming points for certifications that are in the process of assessment on an ROI.
            They flat out told me no and deferred me to follow the listed protocol eventhough there’s soo many known loopholes around that stuff.
            I am not dissing them, I actually personally agree with the stance they choose to take on these matters.

            • virajsen on 19/04/2023 - 23:18

              @Gervais fanboy: When I apply for a police report from my home country, will it be from 16 up to now or 16 up to when I came to Australia for studies, say (2018)?

              • Gervais fanboy on 19/04/2023 - 23:25
                +1

                @virajsen: Haven’t received my invite yet (waiting🤞) so I am not 100% about this myself..
                Give me till tomorrow, I’ll find it out for you.

                • virajsen on 19/04/2023 - 23:26

                  @Gervais fanboy: Thanks mate

                  • Gervais fanboy on 20/04/2023 - 09:11

                    @virajsen: Ok considering you are 30 (10+ years difference from 16), so you need to provide background details of 10 years in the past from Today. Ofcos that would include all your Aus addresses and your overseas addresses, period of stay etc
                    You could go more if you want to but you are only required to go back as much as 10 years.

      • Motek Benzona on 20/04/2023 - 06:42

        Pointless exercise if you want ANYTHING other than the info you can get off the website.

        Of all the customer service departments they are by FAR the most useless bumbling fools i have even encountered in 57 years on this planet. (many years dealing with the idiots)

        You might as well go ask a vagrant on the street. It will take less time and you will be served better. We had to go see our MP last week because of these incompetent nothings. He is going to help and was quite shocked at what they actually do to people on the phone.

        • deme on 20/04/2023 - 11:36

          I already did it, had a good experience and had my question answered.

  • Morien on 19/04/2023 - 23:04
    +4

    Lots of negs going on here :S

    My parents don't remember the exact addresses of places we stayed when I was < 2 years.

    It isn't asking for exact addresses, but countries. Your parents don't remember what countries you've lived in for more than 12 months for the past 10 years? If they or you really can't, this is problematic.

    in the last 10 years since you turned 16

    Because you are 30, the period you need to cover is 2013-2023. The last 10 years. The only incidence this would change is if you had turned 16 more recently than 10 years ago, in which case it would be 16 to present. As you are 30, that is not the case.

    Is it okay to provide a police clearance for the past 28 years?

    As above. But FYI, under 16 is a child. Infractions from before you were 16 are not relevant (maybe only if you were guilty of a horrific crime.. dunno). Kids can make dumb mistakes though, and that shouldn't ruin their lives. Therefore a police clearance will not include anything about them prior to 16.

    To make things clear for you: you need police clearances from every country you have lived in since 2013.

    • virajsen on 19/04/2023 - 23:17

      When I apply for a police report from my home country, will it be from 16 up to now or 16 up to when I came to Australia for studies, say (2018)?

      • Morien on 20/04/2023 - 00:58

        They can only provide you a police certificate for the time you were in that country for.

        Keep it simple. Were you in another country for 12 months or longer since 2013? If so, you need a police clearance from that country.

        That's all you need. But, just in case you are wondering, you can't specify what time frame you want a police clearance for when requesting one. For example, say you were arrested by the Hong Kong police for doing some shady stuff on December 31, 2012, it will include that. You cannot say when requesting it, "please don't include anything before January 1, 2013". But as the Australian government have only requested 10 years, they might only consider that time period when reviewing your application. There's something to be said about people learning from their mistakes, which a 10-year-clean record would indicate.

      • cookie2 on 20/04/2023 - 06:36
        +1

        I'd suggest up to now as you could've gone back at any stage after 2018 and committed an offence then. Anyway isn't it better to give more, rather than less?

        • Morien on 20/04/2023 - 09:11
          +1

          Again, you cannot choose what time period a police clearance will cover. That isn’t how it works.

          And no, it isn’t better to overwhelm the assessor with more than they asked for.

          OP. I don’t know why people are over complicating things.

          It’s simple:
          **Did you live in any other country for 12 months or longer since 2013? If the answer is yes, get a police certificate from that country. **

  • pyramid on 20/04/2023 - 09:13

    Op, just ask indian embassy for police check .No one here can answer your question

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join