Background Check FAQ

Your background check should be ready within 3 days; however, this will depend on the type and purpose of the check, and whether further investigation is needed.

A police check is also known as a national police check, it is a certificate that details any Disclosable Court Outcomes (DCO) and pending charges associated with your name. You may need a police check for specific jobs or volunteer positions.

An Australian police check shows Disclosable Court Outcomes (DCO). These include but are not limited to:

• Any charge found proven in court.
• Details of the court that heard the charge, the date and any penalty or sentence.
• Findings of guilty by a court, even if no conviction is recorded.
• Court convictions, even if no sentence or penalty was given.
• Good behaviour bonds and similar court orders.
• Charges laid by police but not yet proven, or otherwise, in court.
• Current investigations in which the subject is a suspect.
• Children’s Court convictions and guilty findings.
• Traffic convictions and guilty findings.
• On-the-spot fines issued by police that ended up in court.

There is no standard timeframe for which the results of a police check are valid.

A police check is considered a ‘point in time’ check only. Therefore, the results only reflect police records on the date and time the result is released. It is up to the organisation that requires the police check to determine the timeframe acceptable for a police check result to be valid, based on their own risk assessment or operational requirements.

Go to Backy Check website at backycheck.com.au/background-check-services

• Select the check you want. You can also bundle with other checks you may want, as VEVO check.
• Complete your purchase, and you will receive a link where you can complete online the request by verifying your identity online, and upload your documets.
• You will then receive your police check.

ACIC requires you to provide 4 documents from 3 categories, as below:

• ONE Commencement of ID Document
• ONE Primary Use in the Community Document
• TWO Secondary Use in the Community Documents

In all instances, the combination of identity documents must contain at minimum your full name, date of birth and a photograph.

If you have provided identity documents using a former name, such as a maiden name, you must provide evidence of the name change in addition to the four identity documents.

The nature of the documents in each of the categories is summarised below:

Commencement of ID

ONE (1) is required

• Australian birth certificate or authorised record of birth (not an extract or birth card)
• Australian citizenship certificate
• Australian visa current at time of entry to Australia as a resident or tourist, supported by a foreign passport, which is needed for verification
• ImmiCard issued by Department of Home Affairs that enables the cardholder to prove their visa and/or migration status and enrol in services
• Current Australian passport not expired

Primary Use in Community Document

ONE (1) is required

• Current Australian passport not expired
• Current Australian drivers licence, learner permit or provisional licence issued by a state or territory, showing a signature and/or photo and the same name as claimed
• ImmiCard issued by Department of Home Affairs that enables the cardholder to prove their visa and/or migration status and enrol in services
• Australian marriage certificate issued by a state or territory (church or celebrant-issued certificates are not accepted)
• Current passport issued by a country other than Australia with a valid entry stamp or visa
• Current proof of age or photo identity card issued by an Australian Government agency in the name of the applicant, with a photo
• Current shooter or firearms licence showing a signature and photo (not minor or junior permit or licence)
• For persons under 18 years of age with no other Primary Use in Community Documents, a current student identification card with a signature or photo.

Secondary Use in Community Document

TWO (2) are required

• Certificate of identity issued by DFAT to refugees and non-Australian citizens for entry to Australia
• Document of identity issued by DFAT to Australian citizens or persons who have the nationality of a Commonwealth country for travel purposes
• Convention travel document secondary (United Nations) issued by DFAT
• Foreign government issued documents (for example, drivers licence)
• Medicare card
• A relationship certificate issued by a state or territory Births, Deaths and Marriages
• Enrolment with the Australian Electoral Commission
• Security guard or crowd control photo licence
• Evidence of right to an Australian Government benefit (Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs)
• Consular photo identity card issued by DFAT
• Photo identity card issued to an officer by a police force
• Photo identity card issued by the Australian Defence Force
• Photo identity card issued by the Australian Government or a state or territory government (this may take the form of a Working with Children/Vulnerable People Card or a government occupational licence);
• Aviation Security Identification Card (ASIC)
• Maritime Security Identification Card (MSIC)
• Firearms licence
• Credit reference check
• Australian secondary or tertiary student photo identity document
• Certified academic transcript from an Australian university or a registered higher education provider;
• Trusted referees report
• Bank card, credit card or bank statement (without recording the payment/card number/s)
• Australian tax file number
• State/territory government rates assessment notice or Australian Taxation Office assessment notice;
• Australian utility bill showing name and address;
• Australian private health insurance card;
• Australian trade association card

Learn more about the documents required for a police check.

Once the police check is submitted to the ACIC

70% of all Backy Check applications are completed in real-time*. These are the police checks which result in ‘no potential matches found’ and they have ‘no disclosable court outcomes’.

30% requiring manual process and 95% of those are processed within 10 days. These are found with ‘potential matches against applicant’s details'.

Please ensure you allow yourself adequate time to receive your police check just in case your application requires manual investigation.

An urgent priority can only be applied to checks where a delay in results may have a direct impact on the care, safety or provision of essential services within the community

Four general categories exist for urgent checks:

• specialist skills or an emergency or disaster situation;
• political reasons (including national security – for Australian Government only);
• medical reasons; or
• child-related process, including adoption and emergency placement.

Some examples include when:

• volunteers are needed to provide bushfire relief;
• support is needed for an upcoming election;
• medical specialists are required for locum work in a remote area; or
• emergency foster carers are needed.

Many types of reasons are not considered to be urgent priorities. Examples are when an individual:

• is offered employment and is due to start tomorrow;
• has an expired police clearance;
• cannot work until their check is returned; or
• has a professional registration pending a check.

What differs the Australian Federal Police (AFP) police check and the Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check provided by the ACIC is the purpose you are doing the police check for.

For immigration or visa purposes, or employment with the Commonwealth Government you may want to consider the Australian Federal Police (AFP) police check.

An Australian police check (ACIC) is acceptable for all other types of employment in industries such as education, health, banking and finance, and childcare.

In Australia, people who work or volunteer with children are screened for suitability through a Working With Children Check.

This type of check is separate and different to a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check. A Working With Children Check allows for a greater release of information to ensure the utmost safety and protection of children within the community.

Backy Check can’t provide you with any working with children check.

If you are looking to get your working with children check done please refer to the table below.

The following state and territory screening units are the only organisations allowed, under legislation, to conduct Working With Children Checks.

Visa Entitlement Verification Online system (VEVO) allows visa holders, employers, education providers and other organisations to check visa conditions.

Australian citizens have unlimited rights to work or study in Australia. You cannot use VEVO to confirm this. You can provide a copy of your Australian citizenship certificate or your Australian passport to prove your citizenship.

An Australian visa holder can use the VEVO system to obtain the current details and conditions of the visa.

You can use VEVO to send proof of your visa conditions to others, for example, employers, landlords or the government of a country you would like to visit.

An Australian Right to Work Check validates the rights of an individual to work in Australia. The Australian Right to Work Check provides you with a Visa Right to Work Check.

Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) allows visa holders, employers, education providers and other organisations to check visa details and conditions.

VEVO tells you:

• which visa
• the expiry date
• the must not arrive after date
• the period of stay (how long you can stay)
• conditions (what you can and can't do)

Go to Backy Check website at backycheck.com/background-check-services

• Select the check you want. You can also bundle with other checks you may want, as police check.
• Pay, and you will receive a link. Where you can complete online the request by verifying your identity online, and upload your documets.
• You will then receive your VEVO check.

At least the following documents

Passport or ImmiCard and ONE of the following reference numbers:

• Transaction reference number (TRN)
• Visa grant number
• Visa evidence number

Yes. If you’re an Australian visa holder, you can access your VEVO visa details through our Australian Right to Work Check.

Our system connects with the Department of Home Affairs’s VEVO to easily and conveniently provide you with the Visa Right to Work Check.

You can also bundle this service with the Police Check, so you can seamlessly obtain both in one go. 😉

VEVO can only provide information about people who have their details available in the system.

You may not have a searchable record if you migrated to Australia before 1990 and have not since travelled out of Australia.

You may need to apply for an electronic visa record.

Some people may have an ImmiCard issued by VEVO. Government agencies can then use the ImmiCard to check their commencement of identity in Australia.

A credit score is a numerical value which shows your creditworthiness as a single number. The credit score uses information from your credit report an turns it into a number, which is the credit score.

A credit report contains detailed information, including your credit score, personal information, current consumer credit providers, consumer credit enquiries, consumer credit accounts, consumer defaults, consumer serious credit infringements, commercial credit history, public information, personal statements, file access record.

A credit report shows your financial behaviour. It includes things like your credit history, the credit accounts you hold and your credit score. Lenders use this information to help them decide whether to give you credit. But they’re not the only ones who can benefit.

You can use your report too. Understanding your report may help you improve your credit score, which could mean access to lower rates of interest.

Source: https://www.experian.com.au/experian-credit-reports

Information on your Experian Credit Report has been provided from credit providers as a result of your application for credit, and publicly available information from government departments or agencies. This may mean Experian doesn’t have your latest residential address or employer listed. This is quite common. It may be the case that you have not applied for credit while residing at your new address or with your new employer, or the information hasn’t been shared with us.

The information in your Experian Credit Report may include:

Source: https://www.experian.com.au/experian-credit-reports

Go to Backy Check website at backycheck.com/background-check-services

• Select the check you want. You can also bundle with other checks you may want, as police check.
• Pay, and you will receive a link. Where you can complete online the request by verifying your identity online, and upload your documets.
• You will then receive your credit check.

• ONE (1) document from Group A, and
• TWO (2) document from Group B

At least ONE (1) document, from any Group, must be a PHOTOID type.

You can check your credit report and credit score through us and keep monitoring it. We use Experian as serice provider. An Experian Credit Score represents its view of how a credit provider may see the information on your Experian Credit Report. Your Experian Credit Score is a number between 0 and 1,000. The higher your score, the healthier your report is.

Your Experian Credit Score can be useful guide. It gives you an idea of how credit providers may view your Experian Credit Report and the information contained in it when assessing your application for credit. Remember, your Experian Credit Report is only a portion of what is considered in assessing your credit application.

Your credit score isn’t set in stone. Therefore, it can goes up or down. It is important to monitor it and know how it is calculated.

Source: https://www.experian.com.au/experian-credit-scores

We use as service provider Experian. And they calculate their credit score by applying a statistical algorithm that uses past events to predict future behaviour. Each credit bureau uses a slightly different algorithm and does not disclose in detail how this is calculated.

There are however key attributes that are used to generate your credit score such as the type of credit provider who have made enquiries on your report, the type of product you have applied for, your repayment history, the credit limit of each of your credit products and number of credit enquiries, the number of credit enquiries and any negative events.

Source: https://www.experian.com.au/experian-credit-scores

There are a few things that could have a negative impact on your Experian Credit Score:

• Large number of credit applications in a short space of time
• Open accounts with debt collection agencies
• Short term credit (e.g. pay day lenders)
• Defaults
• Missed payments
• Bankruptcy actions
• Court judgements

Source: https://www.experian.com.au/experian-credit-reports

A credit bureau must not include on your credit report any personal information recording your:

• Political, social or religious beliefs or affiliations
• Criminal record
• Medical history or physical handicap
• Race, ethnic origins or national origins
• Sexual preference or practices
• Lifestyle, character or reputation
• Bank balances
• Dependants

Source: https://www.experian.com.au/experian-credit-reports

No, checking your report does not affect your credit score.

Checking your credit report regurarly it is actually a good way to ensure your information is accurate, and may help detect potential identity theft.

Requesting a credit report or check your credit score is considered a "soft enquiry". Soft enquiries do not affect credit scores and are not visible to potential lenders that may access your credit report.

Requesting a loan or a credit card is considered a "hard enquiry". Hard enquiries do affect credit scores. However, if you make multiple hard enquiries because you are shopping around to borrow a large amount of money, for example to buy a property, this will be considered as one hard enquiry, usually if they are made between 14 and 45 days. So, only one enquiry will affect your credit score.

Your score may change, increase or decrease, over time for several reasons including but not limited to:

A score may go up or down because of new information, but this is not always the case. For instance, if you already have a very low credit score, a new default may not lower your score any further; similarly, if you already have a very high credit score, continuing to make your payments on time may not always increase your score.

Source: https://www.experian.com.au/experian-credit-reports

The higher your credit score the healthier your credit file. This is because a high score indicates you have a history of managing your credit sensibly and making repayments on time. It pays to proactively manage the health of your credit score.

When you apply for credit, the credit providers will use your credit score to help them decide whether to lend to you. Each credit provider may have a different approach depending on the information they have access to and their lending criteria. The higher your credit score, the better your chances of getting approved for credit so it’s smart to look after it.

Visit our tips section on how to improve your credit score by clicking here.

Source: https://www.experian.com.au/experian-credit-reports

The length of time it takes to improve your credit score depends on a number of things such as the number of missed repayments, how recently this happened and the type of product you missed repayments on. It’s important to note that you won’t see an improvement overnight, it’s something that takes time which is why it’s really important to keep your credit score healthy.

Source: https://www.experian.com.au/experian-credit-reports

Contact us and we will happily take you through how Backy Check can support your business with reference checks by integrating these checks with your existing processes.