Accurate Application Assesment

Immigration Lawyer Sydney

Official forms expect both accuracy and honesty. This is especially applicable to immigration and Visa applications. If any information on the application form or accompanying documentation is dishonest or intentionally misleading the consequences are severe.

There is an important distinction between dishonesty and an honest mistake. Dishonesty means deliberately attempting to deceive the officials. This is a serious offense, and will invoke a penalty. Honest mistakes do sometimes occur. If this is set straight as soon as realistically possible, by advising the immigration officials, there should be no penalty, though it may cause a delay.

What qualifies as false information:

• Not mentioning conviction of any offense, whether a minor legal offense or a serious criminal offense.
• Identity fraud – pretending to be another person.
• Fraudulent claims of family connections. This includes claiming adopted parents are biological parents.
• Altered documents of any kind.
• Fake documents of any kind, including passport, birth certificate, marriage license
• Digitally altered photos of any kind.
• Fraudulent claims about skills, education, qualifications, or experience.
• Submission of the training certificate from a non-registered organization.
• Any false claims about custody of children or dependency on relatives.
• Not mentioning a medical condition.
• Omitting any relevant information.

When false (or possibly false) information is detected on an application the applicant will be given a chance to explain the situation to the immigration officials. While they will take the severity and the reasons for the deception into account there is a minimal chance that false information will be tolerated.

Applicants are expected to know what information is required. Ignorance of the requirements is not seen as a satisfactory excuse.

Penalties for submitting false or misleading information:

• Banned for 3 to 10 years from further visa applications if caught.
• The good character reference will be permanently tarnished.
• There can be a jail sentence in some cases.
• Citizenship can be revoked, even if the individual has been in the country for many years.

Honest immigration applications have a far better track record of being accepted. A dishonest application will probably ruin any future chances of a successful application.

Immigration Lawyer Sydney

Immigration laws are complex, especially after the Covid lockdown restrictions. Use an Immigration Lawyer in Sydney for the best chance of success.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is provided for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. No individual should take, or refrain from taking, any action solely based on the material contained in this article. While we aim to offer accurate and timely information, we cannot guarantee its accuracy on the date of receipt or in the future. If you require more information or seek relevant legal advice specific to your circumstances, please contact our office.