Acknowledgement of your request
We will send you an acknowledgment letter by email. Read the acknowledgment letter carefully for further instructions.
Processing time for us to release personal information
The Department of Home Affairs receives a large number of requests for information.We generally process access requests in the order we receive them. If we need more information, we will contact you.
Each request is different and therefore requests can vary greatly in the time they take to process.
Caseload characteristics for Quarter 2 of the 2025-26 financial year:
- We finalised 39% of requests within 30 days of submission.
- We finalised 68% of requests within 75 days of submission.
- The average time for processing a request for access to personal information was approximately 79 days.
Due to sustained high demand for this service, we cannot respond to individual access request progress enquiries. Do not email or contact us for a status update on your request. This ensures we can process as many requests as possible, including yours.
Priority requests
In some circumstances the department can process personal access requests quicker when there is a legal priority. You must provide evidence of your legal priority, for example, evidence of a tribunal or a court hearing date, or another compelling reason.
Duplicate copies
We will not assess duplicate copies of the same document. You will receive only one copy, even if multiple copies of the same document exist.
Details of Departmental Officers and internal contact details
We will not release staff details or internal departmental contacts.
