Did You Know Your Social Media Profile Can Impact Your Visa?

Food for thought

In a world that is becoming increasingly globalised, social media has acted as a great tool to communicate and stay connected with loved ones, new and old friends and acquaintances from across the globe. However, with the freedom that comes with such a public platform, we sometimes have to remind ourselves that what we write on the Internet is forever.

The Department of Immigration is able to take into consideration any publicly available, relevant information that it accesses on the Internet when making a decision regarding your visa application. This includes any information that directly contradicts details that you have supplied in your application, for example regarding your relationship status or work history.

The Department can and does conduct searches of the Internet for references to a visa applicant’s name, as part of their due diligence. Their searches may lead to social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or others, and these may be monitored and used to determine the credibility of information given in your visa application.

Tips for Social Media Use

1. Consider whether there are any other details about you that are publicly available on the Internet or social media
2. When posting information about yourself on your social media accounts or in any other forum on the Internet, bear in mind that the Department of Immigration may see this information.
3. Consider removing any information from your social media accounts which is out of date or which does not reflect your current circumstances.
4. Check your privacy settings on social media accounts, the privacy settings allow you to control the information published about you by others or to choose what information is displayed publicly.
5. Last but certainly not least, engage a professional to assist you and advise you of best practice from start to finish.

  If you have any questions or queries please email info@four-corners.com.au or call +61 2 8904 0100.