Australian Immigration Daily News

From 19 November 2018, Australian Biometrics Collection Centres (ABCCs) will commence collecting biometrics from visa applicants who are in Russia or Kazakhstan at the time of making a visa application to enter Australia, unless they are excluded or exempt from doing so under Australian Government policy.

As per Home Affairs’ press release, applicants who lodge their applications from this date will be sent a letter requiring them to attend an ABCC in person to provide their biometrics.  Applicants will need to contact an ABCC to make an appointment and have their biometrics collected.

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/news-media/archive/article?itemId=50

What is the process of collecting Biometrics:

Biometric collection process involves collection of additional data from a visa applicant.  This data is generally not required as part of an application unless expressly requested to be provided by the Department.

However, if you are a citizen applying for a visa to Australia from Russia or Kazakhstan or any other country specified on the list of applicable countries, the Department will request you to provide the following additional information:

• a photo of your face with a digital camera
• scan all 10 of your fingertips with a digital finger scanner

Applicants must have a parent or guardian with them if they are:

• aged under 16
• incapable of understanding biometrics collection

Applicants under the age of 5 will only have their photograph taken.  No finger printing is required.

Australian government uses biometrics for the following reasons:

• protect persons from identity fraud
• make travel to Australia safer
• secure Australian borders

In certain cases, when an applicant arrives to Australia, Australian Border force might take your biometrics again and compare them to your stored biometrics to confirm your identity.

Home Affairs may check your biometrics with other Australian or international agencies to verify:

• identity
• criminal history
• protection status

At present the following visa subclasses are included in the biometrics programme:

100 – Partner

101 – Child

102 – Adoption

114 – Aged Dependent Relative

115 – Remaining Relative

116 – Carer

117 – Orphan Relative

Visitors and Other Temporary visas

400 – Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist)

403 – Temporary Work (International Relations) – Government Agreement, Foreign Government, Domestic Worker (Diplomatic/Consular), and Privileges and Immunities streams

408 – Temporary Activity – Invited Participant, Australian Government endorsed event, exchange, sport, religious worker, domestic worker (executive) and research activity types

417 – Working Holiday

457 – Business (Long Stay)

462 – Work and Holiday

482 – Temporary Skill Shortage

600 – Visitor Visa

601 – Electronic Travel Authority (if not applied for electronically)

602 – Medical Treatment

771 – Transit

Temporary Family visas

300 – Prospective Marriage

309 – Partner (Provisional)

445 – Dependent Child

461 – New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship (Temporary)

Student visas

500 – Student

590 – Student Guardian

Other visas

Applicants for the following subclasses of visa might be required by an officer to provide their personal identifiers after the visa application has been lodged with us:

200 – Refugee

201 – In-country Special Humanitarian

202 – Global Special Humanitarian

203 – Emergency Rescue

204 – Woman at Risk