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Section 234 — False documents and false or misleading information etc.

Migration Act 1958 s 234 Australia Compilation: 18 May 2026 Verified: 2026-05-23

Text of provision

relating to non-citizens

(1) A person shall not, in connexion with the entry, proposed entry or immigration clearance, of a non-citizen (including that person himself or herself) into Australia or with an application for a visa or a further visa permitting a non-citizen (including that person himself or herself) to remain in Australia:

(a) present, or cause to be presented, to an officer or a person exercising powers or performing functions under this Act a document which is forged or false;

(b) make, or cause to be made, to an officer or a person exercising powers or performing functions under this Act a statement that, to the person’s knowledge, is false or misleading in a material particular; or

(c) deliver, or cause to be delivered, to an officer or a person exercising powers or performing functions under this Act, or otherwise furnish, or cause to be furnished for official Migration Act 1958 411 Part 2 Arrival, presence and departure of persons Division 12 Offences etc. in relation to entry into, and remaining in, Australia purposes of the Commonwealth, a document containing a statement or information that is false or misleading in a material particular.

(2) A person shall not transfer or part with possession of a document:

(a) with intent that the document be used to help a person, being a person not entitled to use it, to gain entry, or to remain in, Australia or to be immigration cleared; or

(b) where the person has reason to suspect that the document may be so used. Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years or 1,000 penalty units, or both.

Plain English

Practical effect

Information only. Nothing on this page is immigration advice or legal advice. Only a registered migration agent (MARN) or Australian lawyer may give immigration advice.

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