Form 1442i: The Privacy Notice Attached to Almost Every Application

What Form 1442i actually is

Form 1442i is a Privacy Notice — a standard disclosure the Department of Home Affairs provides to give effect to obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (specifically, the collection notice requirements under the Australian Privacy Principles). Whenever the Department collects personal information from someone, privacy law generally requires it to tell that person certain things about how the information will be handled.

Rather than writing a bespoke privacy explanation into every single one of its hundreds of forms, the Department maintains 1442i as a standalone notice and attaches or references it wherever personal information is being collected.

Why it's attached to so many forms

Because the Privacy Act's notification obligation applies broadly across almost any interaction where the Department collects personal information, 1442i ends up referenced across a very wide range of applications — visa forms, citizenship forms, sponsorship forms, and more. Seeing it attached to whatever form you're completing isn't a sign that something unusual is happening with your application; it's the Department meeting a standard legal obligation that applies the same way to virtually everyone.

This is also why applicants sometimes encounter it more than once across a single application process — each form that separately collects personal information may reference or attach its own copy of the notice.

What the notice actually discloses

At a general level, the current 1442i (Design date 07/26) explains what personal information is collected, who it's collected from, and the circumstances in which it may be used or disclosed. On collection, it discloses that information can come from you directly, from someone you authorise (an agent, sponsor or doctor), from automated systems such as SmartGate at airports, from other government agencies at home and overseas, and — specifically to support the integrity of the Temporary Skilled Visa Program — Single Touch Payroll data obtained from the Australian Taxation Office.

On disclosure, you can nominate a person the Department may release your information to, such as a family member, migration agent, customs broker, sponsor or solicitor. The Department also names a long list of government bodies it may share information with (including Services Australia, the ATO, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Home Affairs' own Register of Migration Agents and Register of Approved Sponsors, both public), and discloses that information can go to overseas recipients — most often officials in your own country, plus named partner countries including the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada and the United States.

The exact wording and scope can change between versions of the notice, so where the specifics matter for your situation, read the current version attached to your own form rather than relying on a general summary.

What it says about the Department's use of AI

The version of 1442i dated 07/26 adds a section on Artificial Intelligence that earlier versions didn't carry. It discloses that the Department uses AI, including generative AI, advanced analytics and automated decision-making, to support its operations, and that personal information may be processed using AI technology as part of that. It lists approved generative-AI use cases as summarising information an applicant or a third party has provided, preparing reports, researching and analysing, preparing correspondence, and supporting general workplace productivity.

The notice states that departmental staff review AI output for accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance before it's used or disclosed, including where it feeds into a decision, and that any processing of personal information with AI still has to comply with the Privacy Act or other authorising legislation. It points applicants to the Department's separate AI Transparency Statement for more detail — that statement isn't part of 1442i itself.

Do you need to sign or submit it?

No. Form 1442i is information the Department gives you, not a document you complete and return. There's no signature field expecting your consent in the way an application form asks for your details — it's a disclosure, not a request. Some applicants mistakenly try to fill it in or attach it as if it were a required supporting document; it isn't, and doing so doesn't add anything to your application.

If you're looking at a bundle of forms and 1442i is one of them with nothing else asking you to act on it, that's expected — treat it as something to read once, not something to complete.

Language versions

Because privacy notification needs to actually be understood to be meaningful, the Department publishes translated versions of 1442i — hosted alongside the English PDF on its own form-listing pages — including Indonesian, Sinhala, Tamil, Kurdish and Tongan versions among others. If English isn't your first language, it's worth checking whether a translated version of the notice relevant to your application is available, rather than relying solely on a general online translation of the English text.

When it's worth asking questions

For most applicants, 1442i is genuinely just background reading. It's worth paying closer attention, or asking a MARA-registered agent to explain the specifics, in situations where information-sharing itself is a live concern — for example, applicants from countries where data being shared with that country's government could carry real personal risk, most relevantly for protection and humanitarian visa applicants.

In those situations, understanding exactly what the current notice says about information-sharing scope, and whether any protections or exceptions apply to your circumstances, is worth doing properly rather than skimming. Migratio lets you describe your situation once and compare consultation fees from MARA-registered agents who handle your visa type (comparing is free; consults are typically $150–$300 and you pay only if you book) if that's a genuine concern for your case.

What is Form 1442i?

Form 1442i is a Privacy Notice the Department of Home Affairs provides under the Privacy Act 1988, explaining how personal information collected as part of an application is used, stored and disclosed.

Do I need to sign or submit Form 1442i?

No. It's information the Department gives you, not a document you complete and return as part of your application.

Why is Form 1442i attached to so many different forms?

Privacy law requires the Department to notify people about how their personal information is handled whenever it's collected. Rather than a bespoke notice per form, the Department uses 1442i as a standard notice attached wherever personal information is being collected.

Does Form 1442i say my information will be shared with other governments?

It discloses that personal information may, in some circumstances, be shared with other Australian Government agencies and, in some cases, foreign governments or international organisations as part of migration and border functions. Read the current version attached to your specific form for the exact wording.

Is Form 1442i available in languages other than English?

Yes. The Department publishes translated versions of 1442i, including Indonesian, Sinhala, Tamil, Kurdish and Tongan among others, since the notice needs to be understood to serve its purpose.

Does Form 1442i say the Department uses AI on my information?

Yes, in the version dated 07/26. It discloses that the Department uses AI, including generative AI and automated decision-making, for approved uses such as summarising information, preparing reports and correspondence, and general research and analysis — with staff reviewing AI output before it's used or disclosed, including in decisions.