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Privacy Policy

Smart Australian Visas Pty Ltd
ABN: 38 616 912 531
Effective: 8 September 2026

1. Our Commitment to Privacy

Smart Australian Visas Pty Ltd ("Smart Australian Visas", "we", "us" or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information we collect and hold.

We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), where applicable, together with our other legal and professional obligations as a migration advice business.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information in connection with our services.

2. Personal Information We Collect

The personal information we collect depends on the services we provide and your individual circumstances. It may include:

  • your name, date of birth, gender, contact details and residential address;

  • passport, birth certificate, driver's licence and other identity information and documents;

  • citizenship, visa, immigration and travel history;

  • education, qualifications, employment and work history;

  • relationship, family and household information;

  • financial, taxation, business and employment information;

  • information about family members, partners, employers, sponsors and other persons relevant to your immigration matter;

  • correspondence and communications with you and other persons involved in your matter;

  • information and documents relating to previous or current visa, sponsorship, nomination, citizenship or other immigration matters; and

  • payment, billing and transaction information.

Sensitive Information

In providing immigration assistance, we may also need to collect sensitive information, including information relating to:

  • health and medical matters;

  • criminal history and character matters;

  • racial or ethnic origin;

  • religious beliefs or affiliations;

  • sexual orientation or relationships, where relevant to an immigration matter; and

  • other sensitive information required to assess, prepare or manage an immigration matter.

We collect and handle sensitive information where you consent, where it is reasonably necessary for the services we provide and permitted by law, or where otherwise authorised or required by law.

3. How We Collect Personal Information

We generally collect personal information directly from you, including through:

  • questionnaires, forms and document requests;

  • email, telephone and video consultations;

  • our client portal;

  • documents and information you provide to us;

  • our website and other electronic communications; and

  • meetings and other communications with us.

Where appropriate, we may also collect information from other persons or organisations, including:

  • family members or other applicants;

  • employers, sponsors or nominators;

  • previous migration agents or legal representatives;

  • government departments and agencies;

  • skills assessing authorities and other relevant bodies; and

  • other third parties authorised by you or where collection is otherwise permitted by law.

4. Why We Collect, Use and Disclose Personal Information

We collect, use and disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to provide our services and operate our business, including to:

  • assess eligibility and provide migration advice;

  • prepare, lodge and manage visa applications, nominations, sponsorship applications, citizenship applications and other immigration matters;

  • communicate with you and other persons involved in your matter;

  • verify information and documents;

  • communicate with the Department of Home Affairs and other Relevant Authorities;

  • obtain or assist with supporting documents, assessments, checks and other services;

  • manage our client relationship, files, accounts and payments;

  • comply with our legal and professional obligations;

  • maintain business, administrative, information technology and security systems; and

  • manage complaints, disputes, regulatory requirements and legal processes.

We will not use or disclose your personal information for an unrelated purpose unless you have consented or the use or disclosure is otherwise authorised or required by law

5. Disclosure of Personal Information

Where reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, we may disclose personal information to:

  • the Department of Home Affairs and other Australian government agencies;

  • State or Territory government agencies;

  • overseas government authorities where relevant to your immigration matter;

  • skills assessing authorities, registration or licensing bodies and other relevant authorities;

  • authorised translators and interpreters;

  • legal, accounting and other professional advisers;

  • medical, police clearance and other service providers where relevant;

  • information technology, cloud storage, client management, communications and cybersecurity service providers;

  • artificial intelligence and technology service providers where used in accordance with section 6 of this Privacy Policy;

  • payment and financial service providers; and

  • other persons or organisations where you have authorised the disclosure or where disclosure is permitted or required by law.

We take reasonable steps to limit disclosure to information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

6. Use of Artificial Intelligence and Technology

We use technology to assist us in providing our services and managing our practice. This may include client management and document systems, email and cloud storage services, and artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

We may use AI and other technology-based tools to assist with tasks such as:

  • organising and reviewing information and documents;

  • summarising and comparing information;

  • identifying inconsistencies or matters requiring further review;

  • assisting with drafting and document preparation; and

  • improving administrative efficiency and workflow management.

AI is used as a support tool and does not replace the professional judgement of the Registered Migration Agent responsible for your matter.

Where AI-generated or AI-assisted material is used in providing immigration assistance, we take reasonable steps to review and verify the material before relying on it for professional advice or submitting it to the Department of Home Affairs or another relevant authority.

Personal information, including information contained in documents, may be processed using third-party technology or AI service providers where reasonably necessary to provide our services. We take reasonable steps to use these services in a manner consistent with our privacy, confidentiality, legal and professional obligations.

Where available, we use privacy and data controls designed to prevent client information provided to AI services from being used to train or improve general-purpose AI models.

We seek to limit personal information provided to AI systems to information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose and take particular care when handling sensitive information.

We do not rely on AI as an authoritative source of migration law or policy. Immigration advice and professional assessments provided by Smart Australian Visas remain subject to the professional judgement of the Registered Migration Agent responsible for your matter.

7. Technology Providers and Overseas Processing

We use third-party technology and service providers to assist us in operating our practice and providing our services. These may include providers of client and matter management systems, secure document storage, email and communications, cloud services, artificial intelligence and other business technology services.

Depending on the service used and its configuration, personal information may be stored or processed using infrastructure or service providers located in Australia or overseas.

Personal information may also be disclosed to overseas recipients where reasonably necessary for your immigration matter. This may include overseas government authorities, police authorities, educational institutions, employers, professional bodies or other organisations relevant to an application or supporting evidence.

Where personal information is disclosed to an overseas recipient, we take reasonable steps to handle that information in accordance with applicable Australian privacy requirements.

Where practicable, further information about overseas recipients and the countries in which personal information is likely to be disclosed can be provided on request.

8. Storage and Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information we hold from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

We use third-party technology services to assist with the secure management of client information, including client management and document systems, email and cloud storage services.

Security measures may include access controls, password protection, multi-factor authentication where available, security measures provided by our technology providers, and limiting access to persons who require the information for legitimate business purposes.

No method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure. We take reasonable steps appropriate to the nature and sensitivity of the information to protect the personal information we hold.

9. Retention and Destruction

We retain client files and records for the period required by our legal and professional obligations and for legitimate business purposes.

Unless a longer retention period is required or appropriate, client documents and records will generally be retained for seven years after the last action on the file.

When personal information is no longer required to be retained, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it, subject to our legal and professional record-keeping obligations.

10. Access and Correction

You may request access to personal information we hold about you or ask us to correct information that you believe is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.

We will respond to requests for access or correction within a reasonable period and in accordance with applicable privacy law.

In some circumstances, we may be permitted or required to refuse access to particular information. If this occurs, we will explain the reason where required by law.

11. Privacy Complaints

If you have a concern or complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details below.

We will review your complaint and respond within a reasonable period.

Privacy Officer
Smart Australian Visas Pty Ltd
Email: Karen@smartaustralianvisas.com.au
Phone: 0424 293 127
Mail: Suite 603, Level 6, 227 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be entitled to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

12. Our Privacy Policy and Third-Party Services

Our website, client portal and other services may use or link to services provided by third parties.

Third-party service providers may have their own privacy policies and terms governing how they handle information. Where we engage a service provider to assist us in providing our services, we take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances to consider the privacy and security arrangements applying to the information involved.

13. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices, technology, legal or professional obligations.

The current version will be made available on our website and will state its effective date. 

©2017-2026 SMART AUSTRALIAN VISAS

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