VEVO for employers: how to check employee work rights in Australia

What VEVO is and why employers must use it

VEVO is a free online service provided by the Department of Home Affairs that displays real-time visa status and conditions for non-citizens in Australia. It draws directly from departmental records, making it the only authoritative source for verifying work rights.

Under Division 12 of the Migration Act 1958, employers commit an offence if they allow an unlawful non-citizen to work, or if they allow a lawful non-citizen to work in breach of their visa conditions. The employer sanctions framework imposes civil penalties on a strict liability basis, meaning ignorance of a worker's visa status is not a defence unless you can demonstrate you took reasonable steps to verify their work rights.

Reasonable steps are defined in section 245AB of the Migration Act and include making a VEVO check. The Department of Home Affairs considers a VEVO check to be the primary method for satisfying this requirement. While you may also sight a visa grant notification or visa label in a passport, VEVO is the only method that provides real-time data — a visa may have been cancelled after a grant letter was issued.

Australian citizens and New Zealand citizens holding a Special Category Visa (subclass 444) have unrestricted work rights. You are not required to run VEVO checks on Australian citizens, but you should be able to confirm their citizenship status, for example by sighting an Australian passport or citizenship certificate.

How to access VEVO as an employer

Employers can access VEVO through two channels, each suited to different volumes of checking.

The first is the VEVO web search at the Home Affairs website. This requires no account registration. You enter the visa holder's details — typically their date of birth plus one of their passport number, ImmiCard number, or visa grant number — and receive an immediate result. This method is suitable for occasional checks or small businesses that hire infrequently.

The second is VEVO through ImmiAccount. If you already have an ImmiAccount (the same portal used for visa applications), you can access VEVO from within it. This is the better option if you run frequent checks, because ImmiAccount stores a history of your queries and allows you to generate reports.

For high-volume employers, Home Affairs also offers an organisational VEVO account. This is a separate registration process designed for businesses, labour hire companies, and government agencies that need to run bulk checks. You apply for organisational access through the Home Affairs website, and once approved, you can perform individual or batch queries. Organisational accounts can also be granted access to the VEVO API for integration with HR and payroll systems, though this requires a separate technical arrangement with the department.

To register for organisational VEVO access, you need your ABN or ACN, a nominated contact person, and the organisation's details. Processing of organisational account requests typically takes five to ten business days.

Running a VEVO check step by step

Whether you use the web search or ImmiAccount, the basic process is the same.

First, collect the visa holder's identifying information. You will need their date of birth and at least one of the following: passport number (including country of issue), visa grant number, or ImmiCard number. The more identifiers you provide, the more reliable the match.

Second, navigate to the VEVO search. If using the web portal, go to the Home Affairs website and select the VEVO search for organisations. If using ImmiAccount, log in and select "Check visa details with VEVO" from the left-hand menu.

Third, enter the visa holder's details and submit the search. VEVO will return results almost immediately during normal operating hours. During scheduled maintenance windows (typically Saturday evenings AEST), the system may be unavailable.

Fourth, review the results carefully. VEVO will display the person's visa status, visa subclass, visa grant and expiry dates, and any conditions attached to the visa. Pay particular attention to condition numbers — these determine what kind of work is permitted and whether there are hour limitations.

Fifth, save or print the VEVO result. You should retain a record of every VEVO check as evidence of your reasonable steps. The result includes a timestamp and a VEVO reference number. Store this with the employee's HR file.

Understanding VEVO results and work conditions

VEVO results display condition codes that govern work rights. The most common conditions employers encounter are as follows.

Condition 8101 — No work. The visa holder is not permitted to work at all. This condition appears on many visitor visas (subclass 600) and some other temporary visas. Hiring someone with condition 8101 would breach the Migration Act.

Condition 8104 — Work limited to 48 hours per fortnight (changed from 40 hours prior to 1 July 2023). This is the standard work limitation for student visa (subclass 500) holders during academic sessions. During recognised semester breaks, the limitation does not apply and the student can work unlimited hours. As an employer, you need to be aware of the student's academic calendar.

Condition 8105 — Work limited to 48 hours per fortnight. Similar to 8104 but applied to different visa subclasses.

Condition 8107 — Must not work other than for the approved sponsor. This appears on many employer-sponsored visa subclasses. The holder can only work for their sponsoring employer in the nominated occupation.

No work condition — If VEVO shows a valid visa with no work-related conditions listed, the visa holder has unrestricted work rights (subject to their visa remaining valid).

If VEVO displays "This person has no current visa" or "No match found," do not allow the person to commence or continue work until the situation is resolved. A "no match" result could indicate an error in the details entered, so re-check the information before drawing conclusions.

Bulk VEVO checks and the organisational portal

Employers with large workforces — particularly in agriculture, hospitality, construction, and labour hire — often need to verify work rights for many workers simultaneously or on a recurring basis.

The organisational VEVO portal supports batch queries. You can upload a spreadsheet of worker details (in a prescribed CSV format) and receive results for all entries in one operation. The batch file requires columns for family name, date of birth, and at least one identifier per row.

Batch results are returned as a downloadable report that can be imported into HR systems. Each row shows the same information as an individual VEVO query: visa subclass, conditions, grant date, expiry date, and current status.

For employers who want to integrate VEVO directly into their onboarding or HR software, the VEVO web service (API) is available by arrangement. This requires a technical integration agreement with the Department of Home Affairs and is typically only pursued by large organisations or software providers building immigration compliance products.

Regardless of the method used, each VEVO check is free of charge. There is no limit on the number of checks an employer can perform.

When to run VEVO checks

Best practice — and the Department's recommendation — is to check work rights at three key points.

The first is before employment commences. Run a VEVO check before the worker's first day. Do not rely on a VEVO check from a previous employer or a previous role within your own organisation if a significant period has elapsed, as visa conditions may have changed.

The second is when a visa is due to expire. If VEVO shows an expiry date during the person's expected period of employment, set a reminder to re-check before that date. A visa holder may have applied for a new visa and been granted a bridging visa, which may or may not carry work rights.

The third is when you become aware of a change in circumstances. If an employee tells you they have applied for a different visa, had a visa cancelled, or received new conditions, run a fresh VEVO check to confirm their current status.

Some employers run periodic re-checks for all non-citizen employees (for example, every six months). While not strictly required by the Migration Act, this practice provides an additional layer of compliance evidence and can identify situations where a visa has been cancelled without the employer's knowledge.

Penalties for employing illegal workers

The employer sanctions framework under Division 12 of the Migration Act 1958 imposes civil penalties for allowing illegal work. These penalties apply on a strict liability basis, meaning the employer's intention is irrelevant — what matters is whether the illegal work occurred and whether the employer took reasonable steps to verify work rights.

Civil penalties for individuals can reach up to 60 penalty units per illegal worker, and for bodies corporate, up to 300 penalty units per illegal worker. The value of a penalty unit changes annually; as of the 2024-25 financial year, one penalty unit is $330, making the maximum individual penalty $19,800 and the maximum corporate penalty $99,000 per worker. Repeat contraventions attract significantly higher penalties.

Criminal offences apply in aggravated cases — for example, where an employer knowingly or recklessly allows illegal work, or where exploitation is involved. Criminal penalties include imprisonment.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) conducts workplace inspections, sometimes unannounced, and can request evidence of work rights verification. Having a documented VEVO check for each non-citizen employee is the strongest evidence you can present.

Beyond legal penalties, employing workers without valid work rights can result in adverse media coverage, loss of sponsorship approval (if you are an approved sponsor), and disqualification from future sponsorship applications.

Troubleshooting common VEVO issues

Several issues arise regularly when employers use VEVO.

"No match found" result. This usually means the identifying details entered do not match departmental records. Double-check the spelling of the person's name (use passport spelling), date of birth format, and passport or grant number. If the person recently received a new passport, the old passport number may no longer be linked in the system — try the visa grant number instead.

Person holds a bridging visa. If the person's substantive visa has expired but they have lodged a new application, they may hold a Bridging Visa A (BVA) or Bridging Visa B (BVB). VEVO will show the bridging visa details and any conditions. Check carefully — not all bridging visas carry work rights. Bridging Visa A holders generally have work rights if the visa they applied for would carry work rights, but Bridging Visa E holders may not.

System unavailable. VEVO undergoes scheduled maintenance, typically on Saturday evenings (AEST). If you encounter an outage during business hours, try again after 30 minutes. If the outage persists, you can call the Home Affairs inquiry line to perform a manual check, though wait times can be lengthy.

Visa recently granted but not showing. There can be a short delay (usually under 24 hours) between a visa being granted and the grant appearing in VEVO. If the person has a grant notification letter but VEVO does not yet reflect the grant, wait and re-check.

Condition 8107 and transfers between sponsors. If you are hiring someone who currently holds a visa with condition 8107 (work only for approved sponsor), they cannot work for you until a new nomination and transfer is approved, or until they are granted a different visa. VEVO will show the current sponsoring employer's details.