Immigration and Citizenship

Audit strategy overview

The Immigration and Citizenship portfolio comprises the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and the Migration Review Tribunal and Refugee Review Tribunal (MRT-RRT). DIAC’s purpose is to build Australia’s future through the well-managed entry and settlement of people. The MRT-RRT provides independent merits review of general visa decisions and protection visa decisions by DIAC.

In recent years, DIAC has been undertaking substantial changes to address the recommendations of a number of major reviews of its activities and performance. The successful and timely implementation of these ongoing changes will underpin DIAC’s future performance and capacity for further change. Funding challenges and implementation of substantial changes to the migration program and detention policies are also influencing the operating environment for the portfolio.

The ANAO has focused its recent audit coverage on key risks to DIAC achieving its outcomes, centring on the need to balance border security and effective, efficient visa and entry processing; and to facilitate the economic benefits of migration and effective settlement of new migrants in Australia. Current audit coverage in DIAC is focused on these risks, including the management of student visas and the need to be assured about the good character of visa and citizenship applicants.

Planned audit work for 2010–11 will focus on DIAC’s management of unlawful non-citizens and the quality of service they receive in detention and the implementation of the Systems for People IT change program.

Audits in progress at 1 July 2010

Management of Student Visas

Student visas enable international students to temporarily enter Australia to undertake full-time study. There are seven sub-classes of student visa according to the type of study to be undertaken. The aim of the program is to develop and administer student visa arrangements that will assist the growth of the education industry through entry to Australia of genuine full-time students. Australia’s international education sector has grown at an average of 15 per cent per annum over the last decade. In 2008–09, DIAC received 362 193 student visa applications and granted 320 368.

The objective of the audit is to assess the effectiveness of DIAC’s management of the student visa program, focusing on the effective administration of the student visa application and decision-making process; the effectiveness of activities to ensure compliance with student visa conditions; and the effectiveness of cooperation between DIAC and the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations in supporting the program.

The audit report is expected to be tabled in the Autumn 2011 Parliamentary Sittings.

Administration of the Character Provisions of the Migration Act 1958 and the Citizenship Act 2007

DIAC is responsible for administering, inter alia, the visa system under the Migration Act 1958 and promoting and approving Australian citizenship through the Citizenship Act 2007. The character provisions of the Migration Act and the Citizenship Act aim to safeguard the Australian community from unacceptable risk of harm. All visa and citizenship applicants must satisfy DIAC that they are of good character.

The objective of the audit is to assess the effectiveness of DIAC’s administration of the character provisions of the Migration Act 1958 and the Citizenship Act 2007. The audit focus includes the policies, guidance and support DIAC provides to its staff, its decision-making processes and performance management and reporting systems, and its continuous improvement processes. The audit complements the ANAO’s audits of visa administration, particularly ANAO Audit Report No.37 2006–07 Administration of the Health Requirement of the Migration Act 1958.

This audit report is expected to be tabled in the Winter 2011 Parliamentary Sittings.

Potential audits

Detention Facilities—Contract Management and Quality of Service

Australia's Migration Act 1958 requires people who are not Australian citizens and who are unlawfully in Australia to be detained. Unlawful non-citizens may be detained in Immigration Detention Centres (IDCs), Immigration Residential Housing (IRH), Immigration Transit Accommodation (ITA), or in community detention. The majority of unlawful non-citizens are held in IDCs. As at 22 January 2010, 80 per cent of the 2038 people in immigration detention were housed in the five IDCs around Australia. In 2009, DIAC signed contracts with Serco Australia Pty Ltd, worth a total of $415 million, to provide detention services at IDCs, IRHs and ITAs. International Health and Medical Services Pty Limited are contracted to provide general and mental health services to people in immigration detention.

An audit would examine DIAC’s management of immigration detention arrangements, focusing on IDCs but including IRH, ITA and community detention. The audit could examine the transition to the new detention service providers, DIAC’s management of the contracts, particularly its monitoring of the seven immigration detention values, and the level and quality of service provided to detainees.

Systems for People

As part of its ongoing change activities, DIAC has developed and implemented Systems for People (SfP). DIAC describes SfP as a technology-enabled business transformation project which aims to improve its information technology systems, develop nationally consistent business processes, provide a single view of clients across a range of business areas, introduce better quality control and provide for improved record keeping. Work on the program commenced in 2006, with completion scheduled for 2010.  In the 2006–07 Federal Budget, the Government announced an SfP budget of $494.6 million. As at 30 June 2009, $528 million had been expended on SfP and related projects, 80 per cent of the revised budget of $659.1 million budget.

An audit would focus on the implementation of SfP, including the development and implementation process and the extent to which it has achieved its aims.

 

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