VIC International Police Check Required for 485 Visa?

[Magnetoid]

Hi guys,

I'm an international (Srilankan) student and I will be completing my Bachelor's degree soon. I hope to apply for the 485 visa (Post-study work stream). I completed the first 2 years of my degree in Malaysia and I completed my 3rd and 4th year here in Australia.

Regarding the character documents, the border.gov.au website states:

• You might need to provide police certificates from each country in which anyone in your application has spent a total of 12 months or more in the past 10 years since turning 16 years of age. The office processing your application will advise you if they need these documents.
  
  (This means I need to provide police checks from Malaysia and Srilanka)

But nowhere on the application itself does it state anything about the earlier statement, in fact, it only mentions the Australian Federal Police check and asks if have applied for it.

I've read on some websites that they no longer require international police checks, but I just met an immigration lawyer who said that I still need to provide them. I have my Malaysian police check in hand, however, it will be hard to obtain my Srilankan one.

In which cases, will they require an international police check from the overseas countries? Do I need to provide police checks from Srilanka and Malaysia as well or not, even though the application does not mention them?

 

[Michael T]

Have you called the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to confirm their requirements?