Migration Fraud - Warning!
In the interests of providing fair and reasonable services to our clients, we wish to advise that it is an offence under Australian immigration law to provide false documents or make misleading statements in a visa application. In such cases, applications may be refused and visas may be cancelled. In addition, the persons involved may be barred by law from being granted a visa for one to three years. In some cases they may be permanently excluded from Australia.
To ensure the best possible client service, we strongly recommend that applicants obtain information and assistance regarding visa applications from either the Visa Office, our service provider VFS or registered migration agents.
When applying for a visa to Australia applicants should be aware of the following:
• If you are involved with migration fraud in any way your ability to apply to travel to Australia will be affected.
• Ensure that all of the documentation that you provide with your application is genuine.
• You are strongly advised not to listen to people who tell you that they can ‘arrange’ a visa for a sum of money.
• There are known scams operating over the Internet and in newspapers offering employment or study in Australia. These are commonly offered by businesses claiming to be ‘migration agents’. When dealing with any agent or business offering such services please ensure that you verify any offers of employment or study.
• You should also verify that the agent is applying lawfully to the Australian Government BEFORE you make any payments or arrangements.
• Please ensure that you obtain an official receipt for any money you pay for a visa or visa-related services.
While all efforts will be made to assist whenever possible, neither the Australian Government nor the Visa Office in Colombo is responsible and cannot be held accountable for any loss related to such scams.
If you have information regarding suspected immigration fraud see: How do I report migration fraud?
For further information on migration fraud see: Migration fraud and scams