What this request is
The Department of Home Affairs keeps a file on every visa application. You have a right to ask for the personal information it holds about you. Home Affairs lists three routes: an administrative access request (such as checking your application in ImmiAccount), a request under the Privacy Act 1988 (Australian Privacy Principle 12), and a request under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Home Affairs: Access to information).
Home Affairs says personal information includes information you provided in an application, correspondence you sent, and “personal information collected or created by the Department when assessing an application”. That is why people ask for their file, including assessment notes, after a refusal.
When people use it
A common time is after a refusal and before deciding whether to re-apply or seek review, so you and your adviser can see what the Department relied on. Note that review deadlines run separately. Do not wait for an FOI response if a review deadline is approaching; get advice about timing.
Privacy Act or FOI Act?
- Privacy Act (APP 12): free, and Home Affairs describes it as faster. You get written reasons if information is limited or removed, but there is no formal internal or external review of those decisions.
- FOI Act: covers your own personal information and other documents. You receive detailed written reasons for anything removed, and there are formal internal and external review options (Home Affairs).
How to make the request
- Open the Home Affairs “Access documents held by Department of Home Affairs” online form.
- Choose the option for a personal access request, accessing your own personal information. The form’s wording can change, so read each option on the live form carefully.
- Identify the application: your full name, date of birth, and any file, client or application reference numbers (for example from your refusal letter or ImmiAccount).
- Describe the documents clearly, for example: “my complete visa application file for [visa subclass, lodged date], including the decision record and the assessing officer’s notes, file notes and any internal assessments.”
- Provide proof of identity if asked. The OAIC notes an agency may ask you to identify yourself so it can confirm the documents relate to you (OAIC: charges).
- Keep your acknowledgement and any reference number.
Timing and cost
Cost: there is no charge for access to a document that contains your own personal information (OAIC: What charges may apply?). Home Affairs also says Privacy Act requests for your personal information are free (Home Affairs).
Timing (FOI Act): the agency must acknowledge your request within 14 days and decide within 30 days of receiving it. That can be extended, for example if a third party must be consulted, you agree in writing, or the request is complex or large. If no decision is made in time, the request is taken to have been refused and you can ask the Information Commissioner to review it (OAIC: When to expect a decision).
For general background on accessing your personal information, see the OAIC guide.
Before you re-apply
A file can be long and technical. Consider asking an OMARA-registered migration agent or an Australian lawyer to review it with you before you make any new application.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get the case officer’s notes on my visa refusal?
You can ask for them. Under the Privacy Act and the FOI Act you can request the personal information the Department holds about you, which Home Affairs says includes information it collected or created when assessing an application. Some material may be removed, and you will be told why in writing.
How much does it cost?
There is no charge for access to documents containing your own personal information, according to the OAIC and Home Affairs.
How long does an FOI request take?
Under the FOI Act an agency must acknowledge your request within 14 days and decide within 30 days of receiving it, although that time can be extended, for example for large or complex requests (OAIC).
Privacy Act or FOI Act: which should I use?
Home Affairs says Privacy Act (APP 12) requests are free and faster, but have no formal review process. FOI Act requests come with detailed written reasons and formal internal and external review options.
Should I get advice before re-applying?
This page is general information only. Consider having an OMARA-registered migration agent or Australian lawyer review your file before you make a new application.
Important
This page is general information, not migration or legal advice, and it was checked against the official pages linked above on 13 October 2026. Processes and forms can change, so always rely on the current Home Affairs and OAIC websites. MoveToAU does not provide visas, does not lodge FOI requests for you, and does not promise any outcome. Visa decisions are made by the Department of Home Affairs.
More: all guides.