- March 21, 2015
- 34 Comments
- in Tips and hints
How to check your visa status online and why you should do it now
What is a visa status check?
Last updated: 21 June 2019
You can check your visa status online by using the free service provided by the Department.
It's called the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) - not to be confused with the other VEVO that has popular videos from famous artists.
Since Australia did away with visa label evidencing and has gone visa label free, you no longer get a label in your passport telling you what visa you have and when it will expire.
The only thing you have demonstrating your visa status in Australia is the notification of grant letter that is either emailed to you or snail mailed to you. Pieces of paper and/or email.
As you can imagine, you can easily lose or forget about these, particularly when you're all caught up in the excitement of finally getting to come to Australia to live, work and stay.
Why would you need to do a visa status check?
Checking if your details are correct: You will want to check if they have the correct details on file. Your visa is linked to your passport so if you have changed your passport details at any time, you need to notify the Department, otherwise you'll have problems.
Check your entitlements, restrictions and conditions: You can check your entitlements, restrictions and conditions as well as checking your dependants. You will want to know the exact conditions placed on your visa so that you do not breach them. Breaching conditions of visa may result in cancellation and deportation.
Check whether you're legal: You will want to know exactly when your visa was granted and when it will expire so that you are not caught out. For particularly long visa durations, such as 4 year 457 visa, people often forget the precise date that they were granted the visa and therefore may not know their expiry date. It's always good to check in every so often.
Check when you can apply for another visa: For 457 visa holders that means time to apply for permanent residency!
For Permanent Residents, it means time to apply for citizenship!
For student visa holders, it means time to renew your visas or graduate to the next visa: graduate visas! (OK sorry bad pun).
Double checking if you're legally working in Australia: sometimes people make mistakes and might tell you the wrong thing. For example, your employer did all your visa paperwork and they've said it's OK and you can start work Monday. But actually the application was lodged, and the visa grant date wasn't until 4 weeks after the date that your boss said you could work. So don't take the employer's word for it because at the end of the day you're the one that's going to be kicked out of the country at a moment's notice.
Evidence for rental applications, job applications etc - if they request it you can print it out and use it as evidence that you'll be staying long enough for the rental period or that you have the correct visa with work rights.
How to check your visa status online
You will need to enter a reference type which can be one of the following:
- Transaction Reference Number (TRN) – the TRN if you applied for your visa online
- Visa Grant Number - you can find this on your visa grant notification letter
- Visa Evidence Number - you can find this on your existing visa label, if you have one
- Password - if you are in Australia contact 131 881 for a password to be created.
Then you need to provide the following information:
- your date of birth
- your passport number
- country of passport.
Once you're in, this is what you'll see:
What everything means:
Current date and time: Date and time of the visa status check
Visa description: Description of the visa eg Bridging
Passport/ImmiCard number: Your passport number
Visa class/subclass: the visa class/subclass eg WA/010
Visa applicant: Can be Primary, secondary or dependant
Visa grant date: Date that the visa was granted
Location: Where you are at the moment. Can be 'onshore' or 'offshore'
Visa status: Whether the visa is still valid or not
Visa grant number: Visa grant number
Entries allowed: Whether you can travel in and out of Australia and how many times
Period of stay: Length of time you are allowed to stay in Australia
Visa type: Type of visa eg. Bridging visa
Visa condition(s): Any and all visa conditions with links for further information
View as PDF: Can save as PDF for your reference
What next?
Well there you have it folks, many reasons why you should check your visa status online now. It's not hard and you'll have a simple peace of mind.
If anything looks suspicious in your visa status check results or you'd like things explained, leave a comment or send us a message.
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I have an Australian permanent residents visa which expires in 2016. However I have just renewed my UK passport. Do I need to get a new visa or can I carry my old passport with the current visa when I travel later this month.
Thank you for your help on this matter.
Hi Mary,
You need to notify the Department of any changes to your circumstances, including change of passports. You can find the forms on the new site https://www.border.gov.au/ or you can obtain them here https://www.border.gov.au/Forms/Documents/929.pdf
I would ;like to renew my re entry visa on my uk passport. I am a permanent resident
Hi Valerie, Have you found what you’re looking for? Otherwise please feel free to email us at info@frontiermigration.com.au if we can help you with your application.
Hi Admin,
Thanks for your information. I have a 457 visa but I’m no longer working for my sponsor anymore for a year and went back to my country.
How do i check whether my sponsor terminated my visa or not? Is my visa still valid to go with the status below?
Location: Offshore
Visa status: In Effect
Must not arrive after: 09 October 2016
Period of stay: Until 09 October 2016
Thanks,
Leo
Hi Leo, you would have received a letter from the Department about your visa status, whether it is cancelled or not.
If you have gone home then don’t forget your superannuation. Click on the link to read more about our guide on claiming your super back. If your employer has cancelled your visa then you’re entitled to that money straight away. If not then there are procedures you can follow. Hope that helps!
Hi,
My husband and I were just granted our sub class 190 visa. I checked online in the method above for the visa status. Everything is fine with my husband’s visa status (primary applicant). However, when I enter my details (dependent applicant), I get an error. How can I check my visa status? Because both of us received separate grant letters. Will this cause a problem when we land in Australia? Please help.
Thanks,
Sam
Hi Sam,
Thanks for getting in contact. If you have a grant letter then everything is fine
Welcome to Australia.
Hi
Me and my wife have lodge our Pr from 457 . Our nomination has been approved. We have submitted our papers for Pr and it’s been 3 months now haven’t heard anything. Can we check our status on vevo if yes how and if not do you have any suggestion please.
Thanks
Ashley
Hi Ashley,
VEVO is only used for checking information on your current visa status. If you’d like to check on the status of an application that you’ve made, please consult your ImmiAccount. It will show you the status of the application.
Dear admin
I want know one thing
What does visa status in effect mean?
Hi Muhammad,
It means that the visa has been granted and that the visa is valid for the period listed.
Thanks
Dear Admin,
I am a new applicant for visa 457.
Can I use the VEVO system to check the status of my application? If not where I can look for this information online?
Hi Ram,
If you have applied for the visa and it has been granted then yes you can use VEVO to check.
If you are waiting on a decision then you need to check your status through your ImmiAccount.
Dear Sir,
I have applied for 457 visa through an agency in Australia. They have submitted the application form on 16 Dec 2015 and till now there is no reply about the visa. How long the visa process will take. How can i check the status of my visa application? the agency told me that they checked with the government but no reply yet.
thanks
Hi Anshu,
Please check with your migration agent regarding the status of your application. Current processing time for 457s is 40 days.
Your migration agent will be able to tell you more.
Hi
I checked my own visa online and it shows me tthat the status is ineffect. What does it mean ?! With thanks
Hi Fio,
In effect means the visa has been granted.
Can I book a flight already if the visa status is in effect?
Thank you
Hi Mira,
In effect means the visa has been granted.
hi, my visa status is in effect, I m checking in vevo, can I print out from vevo and show in airport? vevo paper is enough with passport? or I have to wait some more e mails?
tnx
Hi David,
If you’d like a visa label in your passport, you’ll have to pay for it. Otherwise if your visa is in effect, they’ll be able to check it at the airport. You could take it just in case but it’s not necessary, it’s more for your own reassurance.
Thanks
But i didnt get any e mail, mail, or phone call, that it is approved, i m checking in VEVO,
[REDACTED]
CAN I START TRAVEL ?
Hi David,
Please do not include your personal details in comments, this is a public site on the internet.
I suggest you call the Department to find out. We are unable to help you in this respect.
Thanks
I have a permanent re-entry visa in my old British Passport. Do I have to have it transferred to my new British passport? [REDACTED]
Hi David,
Please do not include personal details in the comments, this is a public site on the Internet.
I suggest you call the Department to assist you.
Thanks
Hi,
My wife had got a job opportunity and we were granted 457 visa and now she is no longer working with the company.how do I know whether my visa is cancelled or not.
Shash
Hi Sha,
The employer should have notified the Department upon your wife leaving that job. It’s a sponsor obligation.
Otherwise you can check using VEVO to see if the visa is still in effect. If it is in effect then it is not cancelled and you can cancel it yourself with a form. Have a read of our article here to see the process: https://www.frontiermigration.com.au/en/tips-and-hints/get-superannuation-back/
I have completed a 929 form as I need to link my electronic visa with my new passport number. I have tried to log in to Vevo to check my status (to see if its been updated yet) but I cannot log on. It doesn’t have one simple United Kingdom option. It has 5 options which one should I use for a UK passport holder who lives in Australia? I am not yet a citizen. Is there a number I can call to check its been updated please?
Hi Kate,
It’s best to call the Department or your local embassy or consulate. They’ll be able to pull up your details and assist you.
Hi there.
I have an ” in effect status 457″ but no longer with the company and back in the uk. My wife has been offered a 457 visa now in a different state does 1 visa cancel the other one out ?
Hi Alan,
Your employer should have cancelled your visa if you’re no longer with that company. It’s a sponsor obligation to notify of changes. You should also cancel your visa if you’re no longer with the company so that you can get your superannuation back. Check out our blog post on how to do that here: https://www.frontiermigration.com.au/en/tips-and-hints/get-superannuation-back/
Hi, where can I find the visa number? I don’t have a visa label, everything was emailed to me.
Thanks
H Tjsaff,
This would be in the visa grant notification letter that was emailed to you. Check the pages again.