Your Visa might get cancelled if you import “objectionable” material into Australia


22 May 2019

Australian Department of Home Affairs might cancel your Visa on various grounds like being non-complaint to visa conditions, not meeting the character requirements and providing false information in the application. The other important criteria is Biosecurity contraventions and importation of objectionable goods.

The new regulations allow the department to cancel visitor visa if Australian Biosecurity laws are violated and temporary visa can get cancelled if the visa holder is found to import goods that is considered objectionable without permission.

The Department requires people coming to Australia to declare certain food, plant material and animal items brought from overseas. The visitor might get their visa cancelled if they fail to meet the requirements to answer questions about the goods, do not follow the directions of Biosecurity officer in regards to goods and baggage, and provide false or misleading information or documents. Australian Government takes Biosecurity contraventions seriously as the items might introduce serious pest and disease to Australia and can devastate agriculture, tourism industries and environment of Australia.

Similarly, the department can cancel the visa of temporary visa holder if they import objectionable goods and materials without permission. The “objectionable” goods includes material that describes, depicts, expresses or otherwise deals with sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence, revolting or abhorrent phenomena in a way that would offend a reasonable adult. Also if goods depict children under 18 years of age that would offend a reasonable adult, promote crime or violence, promote drug misuse and advocate terrorist act.

Australian Border Force have been, not only removing visitors and temporary visa holders but also charging them according to Australian Law. On 12 May 2019, an Indonesian tourist was charged for the possession of abhorrent material in his mobile phone. A Brazilian man, 28, was removed from Australia after finding abhorrent material on his mobile phone on 11 May 2019, another 45-year-old Indian tourist was refused to enter Australia on 2 May 2019 after locating a video which was not sexual in nature but depicted physical assault of a child. Similarly, a Malaysian man was also charged over the possession of child exploitation material while attempting to enter Australia at Perth International Airport.