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Right to Work Checks & VEVO Checks
for Australian Employers

Rapid Screening helps employers verify that every worker — Australian citizen, permanent resident, or visa holder — has the legal right to work in Australia, before they start and throughout employment.

Fully online. No manual paperwork. Instant VEVO results for eligible checks.

Set Up a Business Account

Check types available through Rapid Screening

Right to Work — Australian Citizens & PRs VEVO Check — Visa Holders & Foreign Nationals Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check
Why It Matters
All employers have a legal obligation to verify work rights

Under the Migration Act 1958, it is unlawful to allow someone to work in Australia if they do not hold a valid visa that permits employment. This applies to every worker in your organisation — citizens, residents and temporary visa holders alike.

★ Australian Citizens & Permanent Residents
✓  Verified using an Australian passport, citizenship certificate or birth certificate with photo ID
✓  A one-time check at commencement of employment is generally sufficient
✓  Records must be retained as evidence of the check
✓  Rapid Screening collects, stores and timestamps the declaration securely
■ Visa Holders & Temporary Foreign Workers
✓  Verified via VEVO — the Department of Home Affairs Visa Entitlement Verification Online system
✓  Reveals the worker’s visa subclass, conditions, work restrictions and expiry date
✓  Ongoing VEVO checks must be conducted at intervals appropriate to visa type
✓  Employers must act on any change in visa conditions or work entitlement
⚠ Penalties for Non-Compliance

Employers who allow workers without valid work rights face serious consequences:

→An Illegal Worker Warning Notice (IWWN) may be issued on a first offence
→Civil penalties up to $18,900 per individual and $94,500 per illegal worker
→Potential criminal prosecution for aggravated breaches
→Reputational and contractual consequences
✓ Good Faith Defence

Employers who conduct a reasonable check before employment commences may be entitled to a statutory good faith defence, even if the document later proves to be false. A timestamped audit trail of all checks is essential.

VEVO Explained
What is a VEVO Check?

VEVO — Visa Entitlement Verification Online — is the Australian Department of Home Affairs system that allows employers to confirm whether a foreign national has a valid visa, what conditions apply, and whether work is permitted.

What a VEVO Check Reveals

A successful VEVO check returns real-time information directly from the Department of Home Affairs, including:

Visa subclass & grant dateThe specific visa type held and when it was granted
Work entitlement statusWhether the visa permits work and under what conditions
Work restriction conditionsLimitations such as hours per fortnight or occupation type
Visa expiry dateWhen the current visa ceases to be valid
Study conditionsWhether there are conditions relating to enrolled study
Notification of changesAlerts when visa status or conditions are updated
How It Works
Simple, fully online process for your HR team

Rapid Screening removes the manual work from right to work and VEVO compliance. Set up your business account once — then your team can run checks on any worker, any time.

1

Create Account

Register online. No setup fees, no paperwork — live in minutes.

2

Select Check Type

Choose Right to Work (citizenship) or VEVO (visa holder) and invite your worker by email.

3

Worker Submits

Worker completes their check securely online — no login required.

4

Results Delivered

Results to your dashboard with a full timestamped audit trail.

Why Rapid Screening
Everything your compliance team needs in one place

Right to work and VEVO compliance doesn’t have to mean manual spreadsheets, VEVO website logins and paper records.

Instant VEVO Results

VEVO checks query the Department of Home Affairs in real time — no manual VEVO website login required.

Audit-Ready Records

Every check is timestamped and stored securely. Your records are ready if a Home Affairs inspector visits.

Visa Expiry Alerts

Automatic notifications when a visa holder’s conditions change or their visa approaches expiry.

Whole-of-Workforce Coverage

Manage citizens, residents, visa holders, casuals and contractors in one platform.

Privacy Act Compliant

All data handled in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. Encrypted in transit and at rest.

Combined Check Bundles

Bundle a Right to Work or VEVO check with an NCCHC in a single onboarding flow.

Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Right to Work & VEVO
Yes. Every worker in Australia — including Australian citizens — must have their work entitlement verified before commencing employment. For Australian citizens, this is done by sighting and recording a qualifying document such as an Australian passport or birth certificate with photo ID. A VEVO check is not required for citizens, but the document evidence must be recorded and retained.
There is no single prescribed frequency in the legislation — employers are expected to conduct checks at a frequency that is reasonable given the visa type and conditions. Shorter-duration or condition-heavy visas (e.g. student visas with fortnightly work hour limits) generally require more frequent re-checking. Many employers conduct VEVO checks at the start of employment, at each visa renewal, and periodically throughout ongoing employment.
The Migration Act 1958 provides a statutory good faith defence to employers who can show they conducted a reasonable document check prior to the worker commencing employment. To access this defence, employers must have sighted and recorded relevant identity and work entitlement documents. The defence is not available if the employer knew or was reckless about a worker’s lack of valid work rights. Maintaining a timestamped audit trail of all checks is essential.
Penalties under the Migration Act are significant:
  • An Illegal Worker Warning Notice (IWWN) may be issued on a first offence
  • Civil penalties of up to $18,900 for individuals and $94,500 per illegal worker for corporations
  • Criminal prosecution and potential imprisonment for aggravated breaches
  • Reputational damage and potential contract or licence consequences
Yes. Rapid Screening is integrated with the Department of Home Affairs VEVO system, enabling authorised checks to be run directly from our platform without the employer needing to log in to the VEVO website manually. Results are returned in real time and stored securely against the worker’s record.
Yes. Rapid Screening allows you to bundle a Right to Work or VEVO check with a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) in a single onboarding flow. The candidate receives one invitation and completes both checks in the one digital process.
Ready to verify your workforce’s right to work?

Set up your business account today and run Right to Work checks and VEVO checks for your entire workforce from a single, audit-ready platform.

Set Up a Business Account

Rapid Screening is fully accredited by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and integrated with the Department of Home Affairs VEVO system. All data handled in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. ABN: 63 612 155 987

ACIC Accredited VEVO Integrated AFP Partner 256-bit Encryption Privacy Act Compliant