Minister visits Sydney Airport
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
Minister Evans meets Immigration officer Jasvir Gill and Felicia Thomson from GSL after inspecting the Sydney Airport holding centre.
Forensic document examiner David Godfrey explains to Minister Evans how Immigration experts detect fraudulent passports.
Senator Chris Evans took the opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look at Immigration activities on a recent visit to Sydney Airport.
The minister met some of the department’s staff and discuss the finer points of their duties, including document checking during his April 29 tour of the facilities.
Internationally, biometric checks are an increasingly important aspect of immigration clearance processes, with forensic document checks being a crucial part of the work DIAC staff undertake at airports.
Kingsford-Smith Airport is Australia's largest with almost 44 per cent of all international passenger movements every year. In the nine months to the end of March 2008, more than 8.5 million international passengers travelled through Sydney.
Immigration staff play a crucial role at Australia's airports and work collaboratively with Customs and other agencies.
About 1500 people a year are refused immigration clearance at Australia's airports, for reasons ranging from concerns about bona fides, incorrect information being provided in a visa application or incoming passenger card, to people who arrive on false or fraudulently altered travel documents.
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Last update: 13 August 2008 at 17:14 AEST