Certifying visa application documents/attachments

[GeeBee]

Hi all,

I'm collating supporting documentation for our 186 visa application.

When I prepared our 482 TSS visa application a couple of years ago I had a UK solicitor certify a whole raft of documents to be  'better safe than sorry' and the application sailed through.

Now when I read this link below it seems to be suggesting quite clearly that documents only need to be certified if you're submitting a paper application, rather than online.

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/applying-online-or-on-paper/on-paper

Statutory Declarations excluded, are people no longer certifying supporting documents in online visa applications (or maybe they never did)? 

Thanks

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• Visa: 186 - Employee Sponsored - Direct Entry (onshore)
• Occupation - Nurse (Critical Care)
• Applicants: 2 - including de facto partner
• Skills Assessment submitted: 25/01/2021
• Skills Assessment: Non-certified docs requested: 5/3/21 (re-sent 8/3/21)
• Skills Assessment Approved: 12/3/21
• Employee Labour Market Testing complete: 30/3/2021
• Employer Nomination Submitted: [in progress]

 

 

[JetBlast]

You don't need to certify. Colour scans are fine. I never had any issues.

[Marisawright]

If you're in Australia and want to play it safe, getting documents certified is very easy.  Just call your local library and ask where you can find your nearest Justice of the Peace (JP).   It's a voluntary position and they are not allowed to charge for their service.  

Often, you'll find there's a JP who offers a regular session at the library or Town Hall once a week, and you don't even need to make an appointment - just turn up.

Edited April 12, 2021 by Marisawright

[GeeBee]

Thanks both. Any thoughts on the of use certified copies dated a few of years ago (2018)?

For example, in my TSS application, I had included a certified copy of our birth certificates (in addition to a passport and UK drivers licence) as additional proof of ID. I do not have the physical birth certificates with us in Australia so could not take to a JP for an up to date certification. I do have a digital scan (not certified) though.

For this example, the question would be whether to use the 2018 certified document or the plain scan? i.e Is anyone aware of any issue around the date a document was certified?

 

[GeeBee]

I’ll add a couple of findings around my last question, with regards to certifying documents, having now gone through the process.

Although the DOHA says you only need to certify docs if applying on paper, when you actually upload documents in Immi for specified categories of document (such as identity docs, police certs and skills assessment) it does ask online for certified copies. 
 

I certified passports, drivers licence, police checks and statutory declarations. Skills assessment was requested certified in immi but for nursing it’s issued digitally and APHRA send it straight to DOHA (you can’t certify a true copy of a digital document). You can also check status of registration online so I provided a link and details for the case officer to easily check. 
 

I didn’t certify academic certificates or transcripts, employer references or any de facto evidence (bills, statements, tenancy agreements etc), with the exception of statutory declarations. There were old some which were certified in 2018 so I included the certified version because I had it. *
 

* I also called DOHA regarding documents certified in 2018 from my previous visa. DOHA confirmed that if the document itself doesn’t expire, the certification doesn’t expire. 
 

All scans were in colour if the original was colour.  
 

hope this helps. 
 

also I used software called Smart PDF to combine and reduce sizes of docs to fit the upload requirements. 
 

note ANMAC skills assessment was different to the visa. They refused my certified documents and asked for non-certified.