Employers in Australia who engage visa holders are required to verify that each person has the legal right to work. This is typically done through the Department of Home Affairs’ VEVO system (Visa Entitlement Verification Online).

While the requirement is straightforward, the process can be slow, repetitive, and hard to scale. Complize addresses this by automating VEVO checks and reducing the time involved to less than a minute per check.

What is a VEVO check?

A VEVO check confirms a non-citizen's visa type, expiry date, and conditions. It is the official method for determining whether a person has permission to work in Australia.

Employers must ensure that these checks are done at the time of employment and on an ongoing basis. A failure to verify work rights, or relying on outdated records, can result in civil penalties, reputational damage, or loss of sponsorship status.

Manual processes create risk

Running VEVO checks manually involves:

• Logging in to the government portal
• Entering passport or visa details
• Interpreting the results
• Downloading and storing documentation
• Setting reminders for future checks
• Notifying relevant stakeholders

This process is time-consuming and often decentralised across teams. It becomes difficult to track who has been checked, when the next check is due, or whether any visa conditions have changed.

For organisations employing large numbers of visa holders, relying on manual systems increases the risk of non-compliance.

How Complize streamlines the process

Complize automates the VEVO check workflow by integrating directly with the Department of Home Affairs. Once a worker’s details are entered, the system can:

1. 1. Query the Department and return the worker’s current visa information
2. 2. Store a timestamped record, including a PDF summary
3. 3. Flag any conditions such as limited work hours or visa expiry dates
4. 4. Include the worker in routine re-checks without manual action
5. 5. Send alerts to HR or compliance teams if visa status changes

A typical check takes less than 60 seconds from start to finish.

What gets automated

• Initial and repeat VEVO checks
• Visa expiry alerts
• Change notifications for work rights or visa conditions
• Record-keeping for audit purposes
• Compliance reports for internal use

This reduces the need for spreadsheets or calendar-based tracking.

Organisational impact

A medium-sized business with 250 visa holders may need to conduct more than 1,000 checks each year to meet minimum compliance standards. Manual processes often result in inconsistent outcomes and undocumented checks.

By automating these tasks, organisations can:

• Reduce administrative load
• Increase the frequency and consistency of checks
• Ensure records are audit-ready
• Improve coordination across HR, legal, and operational teams

The system is designed to support employers who need to manage right-to-work compliance at scale.

Broader compliance context

VEVO checks  are part of a wider immigration compliance obligation. In addition to verifying visa status, employers must also manage sponsorship conditions, notifiable events (such as changes in duties or resignation), and internal awareness of visa constraints.

Complize includes features to support these functions, including condition monitoring, document management, and short training modules for hiring managers and staff.

Legislative context

New compliance laws introduced in 2024 increased penalties for breaches and gave regulators broader powers. Employers may now be subject to public sanctioning, sponsorship cancellation, or multi-year bans from employing temporary visa holders.

These changes have increased the need for systems that provide reliable, time-stamped records of VEVO checks and other compliance actions.

Summary

VEVO checks are a core part of immigration compliance for Australian employers. While the legal requirement is well understood, the practical burden of maintaining accurate, regular checks can be substantial.

Complize provides an alternative to manual tracking by automating the verification process, storing records securely, and alerting teams when action is needed. For organisations employing a significant number of visa holders, this can improve compliance reliability and reduce administrative effort.

For more information on how VEVO automation works in practice, or to assess your current approach, book a demo.