Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

The MCV currently involves an assessment of the following in relation to a visa applicant: character concerns, including an assessment of criminality; security concerns, on advice from ASIO; risks relating to weapons of mass destruction; whether there are any debts to the Commonwealth; whether the applicant has complied with previously held visas; whether they pose fraud risks; and whether they hold a valid passport.

The ASIC-MSIC background check currently consists of an assessment of the applicant's identity; a full security assessment from ASIO; a criminal history check by ACIC, which involves obtaining a full criminal history of the applicant and assessing it against relevant eligibility; and an immigration check, where required, by the Department of Home Affairs.

Whilst there is a degree of overlap between the MCV and ASIC-MSIC checks, they are undertaken for different purposes and in relation to different risks. An MCV check is tailored to a temporary visa for entering Australia; the ASIC-MSIC checks are more detailed assessments of people with an ongoing need for unsupervised access to the secure areas of Australia's ports and airports.