How a VEVO Check Helps You Avoid Visa Compliance Issues in Australia
Before employing a visa holder in Australia, you must conduct top-tier due diligence to ensure maximum compliance with the country’s employment laws and regulations. One of the most crucial prerequisites of employing a visa holder is checking their visa status. Doing so verifies that they are eligible to work in Australia. Keep in mind that some visas do not allow for employment.
So, when looking to fill a vacant position in your company, checking visa status is critical. Be sure that the candidate under consideration has the necessary work rights required by law. This helps you avoid compliance issues and penalties imposed on employers who hire illegal workers.
What Is a VEVO Check?
VEVO is an acronym for Visa Entitlement Verification Online. It’s a service provided by the Australian Department of Home Affairs. The primary purpose of VEVO is to verify whether applicants have the legal right to work in Australia or not. It also checks the visa terms and conditions. Additionally, it’s sometimes referred to as the Right to Work Check.
Australia is overly intentional about preserving work rights and has zero intolerance for discrimination in the workplace. At the same time, employment regulations forbid companies and organisations from employing people who don’t fulfil all the legal requirements. A VEVO check is your best bet when verifying a non-Australian’s eligibility to fill a vacancy.
How Does a VEVO Check Work?
A VEVO check is conducted online through the Department’s website. The applicant, or their employer, fills out a form. It provides personal details such as name, date of birth, address, etc., along with other information regarding their visa.
When done manually, the individual or their employer enters details from their identity document, such as a passport. This takes time and can be cumbersome. This is especially true if you have hundreds of employees that have to go through the process.
On the flip side, when using automated solutions, the process becomes much easier, quicker, and more efficient. The automated system scans identity information on the go for automatic data processing. This is a huge efficiency gain for clients.
To that effect, the VEVO check reveals some crucial information about the applicant’s visa. It lets you know how their visa affects their employment eligibility and duration. The information includes:
- Whether the visa allows for employment.
- If yes, what type of visa does it fall into (e.g. Working Holiday Visas, Temporary Business Visas, Short Term Visas).
- What the visa term is.
- How long the visa lasts.
- Any limitations placed on the visa holder’s ability to work while in Australia.
Why Should You Conduct a VEVO Check for Your Employees?
There are several reasons to check your employees’ visa status and conduct ongoing checks when they’re already onboarded. Here are just a few:
Avoid Fines and Penalties
There are fines and penalties associated with hiring illegal workers. If you fail to comply with the rules and regulations, both you and the employee could face hefty fines. Jail time is even a possibility.
According to FindLaw Australia, “An individual found guilty of committing an offence under the Act can be fined up to $13,200, and face up to two years imprisonment. Meanwhile, companies who are found guilty of employing the services of an illegal worker can be fined up to $66,000 for every unlawful employee who is found to be working within the company.”
Improve Efficiency for Human Resource Management
The VEVO report gives you clear directions and insights into managing your human resources. For instance, you’ll learn if the visa holder has been issued a Work Visa. VEVO will also tell you what type of visa they hold, and how long their stay will last.
That way, you’ll be better positioned to make decisions related to the employee’s future. For example, you may need to adjust their roster based on a weekly limit of their working hours. Or you may have to review their employment if their work rights change or extend their stay once they qualify for a new visa.
Save Time and Money
Time efficiency is one of the key differences between automated VEVO checks and conventional methods. Automatic VEVO checking takes no time at all after employee onboarding.
Plus, you won’t need to spend hours searching through documents and paperwork. Instead, you’ll simply scan a passport, upload a spreadsheet, or complete a short online form. And immediately, you’ll receive a detailed report containing everything from the applicant’s visa history to their current employment situation.
Reduce Risk of Visa Overstays
If you don’t perform regular VEVO checks on your employees, you risk having them overstay their visas. According to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), around 20,000 people stay in Australia each year after their visa has expired.
So having an employee work for a longer time than their visa permits puts your organisation at risk of facing hefty fines. But by checking their status regularly, you can avoid this problem altogether. Plus, it’s an excellent employee experience practice. Offering this check helps the employee extend their stay if they prove valuable to your company.
Automate VEVO Checks With CheckWorkRights
The right to work check is an ongoing process that your organisation needs to perform periodically to avoid compliance issues. This is especially critical if you manage a large number of employees. As you can imagine, this can be burdensome, time-consuming, and costly when done manually.
Fortunately, there’s a solution: CheckWorkRights. With our automation-based solution, you can easily set up recurring VEVO checks. As a result, you get reports on your employees’ immigration statuses whenever you need them. You can also schedule these checks to occur automatically, so you never miss a beat. Finally, you can leverage our track a check feature to follow up on any changes made to your applicants’ records.
For more information about how we can help you automate your VEVO checks, don’t hesitate to contact us and book a demo today.
