KONCHECK performs hundreds of National police checks for employment, volunteering and occupation-related licencing and registration purposes. We receive queries over social media platforms, emails, our chat support and even over the phone regarding the requirements of the application process.
The themes of some of the queries are quite similar. So, we have jotted down some of the most Frequently Asked Questions and answered them in this article.
Police checks: Frequently Asked Questions and Their Answers (FAQ)
- I am a New Zealand citizen who lives in Australia. How can I fulfil the Commencement of Identity document requirement for my police check?
- I was denied work in the Child Care sector due to my Criminal History. What can I do next?
- My Australian Passport expired two months ago. Can I apply for my Criminal History Check?
- Why is my two month old Check not accepted? Can you change the details on my police check certificate?
1. Being a New Zealand citizen, how do I suffice the commencement of identity document for police check?
If you are a New Zealand citizen and do not hold dual citizenship with Australia, you will be automatically granted an Electronic Visa (Special Visa Category subclass 444) on arrival. This visa allows you to work in Australia.
Usually electronic visas that are issued to applicants before they arrive into the country are provided in a PDF format, however for New Zealand citizens, when they arrive in Australia, their passport number is linked to an electronic visa, so technically they do not receive any sort of visa document.
If your employer asks you to obtain a National Criminal History Check, you might get confused about fulfilling the Commencement of Identity document requirement since you do not have your visa copy.
Firstly, you cannot use your NZ Passport as your Commencement of Identity document. You must visit the Department of Home Affairs Website to download a copy of your visa.
New Zealand permanent residents have to apply for a visa before entering the country.
Remember, once you have left Australia, the Special Category Subclass Visa 444 immediately terminates. So, you would not have work rights if your employer runs a VEVO Work Rights Check on you because you are not in Australia.
2. What to do if denied work in the Child Care sector due to Criminal History?
If an applicant’s job involves supervised or unsupervised contact with children, they will require a Working with Children Check (WWCC). An applicant’s national police history is requested from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) after the application form is received and verified by the WWC Screening Unit. The WWC screening unit assesses the information and verifies if the applicant poses any risk to children.
When your screening is successful, you will be given an Assessment Notice certificate in the form of a WWC Card. On the contrary, you will receive a “Negative Notice” that prohibits you from engaging in any child-related work. In certain circumstances, police history information relating to charges and/or convictions for overseas offences may also be obtained.
Still, if you believe that you are refused to work on irrelevant grounds, you can apply to the Australian Human Rights Commission based on discrimination. The commission has the power to investigate the matter and come to conciliation between you and your employer.
However, you have to remember that a WWCC is different from a police check. In WWCC, the spent convictions legislation does not apply. So, if you have committed a crime 20 years ago, it can still be released on the certificate by the Police. For more details, you can refer to our Working with Children Check
3. Can I apply for a Criminal History Check with an expired Australian passport?
If your Australian Passport expired two months ago, and your employer has asked for a Criminal History Check, there is no need to worry.
Usually, expired documents are not accepted while processing a police check; however, Australian passports that have expired less than 2 years ago are acceptable.
4. Two-month-old police check is not accepted? Is it possible to update the details?
Your recently conducted check may not be accepted for a number of reasons, some of them including: either the check needs to be very recent (less than a month old) or the purpose of the check is different to the employment role you have applied for. For example, if you have obtained the police check for working as a Nurse, it may not be accepted for your Driver Accreditation / Licensing application. Depending on the purpose of the police check, the police check result will be released accordingly.
Once the check has been submitted into the checking system and while the check is still processing, KONCHECK cannot change any details of the application except the purpose of the check. Once the certificate has been issued, none of the details can be altered.
You don’t need to worry if you need to apply for a police check for an Employment or Volunteer role within a small time frame. KONCHECK conducts 100% online checks at one of the lowest prices with zero hassles, and most results are delivered within 1-2 business days.