VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) is the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) tool that allows visa holders, employers, education providers, and other organisations to check the details and conditions of an Australian visa. VEVO is the authoritative online source for verifying what rights a visa holder has — including whether they are permitted to work, study, or travel — without needing to contact DHA directly.

VEVO does not confirm Australian citizenship — it only displays records for current or former visa holders. To verify that someone is an Australian citizen, other means (such as an Australian passport) are required. For current access to VEVO, refer to the DHA VEVO page.

• Migration Act 1958 — the legislative framework governing visa conditions and the rights of visa holders
• DHA: Check visa conditions online (VEVO) — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/vevo
• DHA: VEVO for visa holders — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/vevo-visa-holders
• DHA: VEVO for organisations — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/vevo-organisations

What VEVO displays

A VEVO check returns the following information about a visa:

• Visa subclass and its name
• Visa validity dates — the date the visa was granted and when it ceases
• Visa conditions — the specific conditions attached to the visa under Schedule 8 of the Migration Regulations 1994, including conditions relating to work, study, and reporting obligations
• Work entitlement — whether the visa holder is permitted to work in Australia (and if so, whether subject to any restriction on hours or employer type)
• Travel permissions — whether the visa allows the holder to re-enter Australia and any travel facility expiry date

How visa holders access VEVO

Visa holders can check their own visa details through:

• ImmiAccount: Log in to ImmiAccount at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au and navigate to the VEVO check section.
• VEVO portal directly: The VEVO tool can also be accessed using passport details (passport number, date of birth, and country of passport) without needing an ImmiAccount login in some cases.

Visa holders are encouraged to check their VEVO record periodically to ensure conditions are correctly recorded — particularly after receiving a new visa or after the substantive visa application has been processed.

How employers and organisations use VEVO

Employers, education providers, and other organisations have a legal interest in verifying the work or study entitlements of the persons they engage. Under Australian immigration law, employing a person who does not have work rights (or who is working in breach of their visa conditions) is a civil penalty offence. VEVO provides a mechanism for organisations to verify entitlements directly from DHA's records.

To access a visa holder's details, the organisation must obtain the visa holder's permission — typically in the form of a reference number that the visa holder generates from their own VEVO record. The organisation then enters this reference number (along with the visa holder's details) to retrieve the VEVO result. VEVO for organisations is accessible through ImmiAccount or a dedicated organisational access pathway — refer to the DHA VEVO for organisations page.

Limitations of VEVO

• Does not confirm citizenship: VEVO only contains visa records. If a person is an Australian citizen, they will not appear in VEVO — a "not found" VEVO result may mean the person is a citizen, not that they are unlawful.
• Pre-1990 migrants: Persons who migrated to Australia before 1990 and have not departed the country since may not have a searchable VEVO record. These persons may need to contact DHA directly to verify their status.
• Bridging visa holders: Bridging visa details appear in VEVO but the conditions may differ from the underlying substantive visa application — check the conditions carefully.

VEVO enquiry form

If a visa holder or organisation cannot access VEVO, encounters an error, or believes the VEVO record is incorrect, DHA provides a VEVO enquiry form for assistance.

VEVO is a real-time check against DHA's records — it reflects the current visa status at the time of the query. However, if a visa has recently been granted or conditions have recently changed, there may be a short processing delay before the VEVO record is updated. In time-sensitive situations (such as an employee starting immediately after a visa is granted), it is worth confirming the VEVO record is current.

Employers relying on VEVO to verify work rights should document their VEVO checks — retain the VEVO result (with the date) as part of employment records. VEVO provides a "good faith" defence for employers if a visa holder later breaches their conditions, provided the employer acted on the VEVO result at the time of engagement.