Data matching shared between the ATO and Department of Immigration & Border Protection

October 2015

Australian visa holders need to be aware of their Australian tax obligations.

The ATO will now have access to data held by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) as part of its data matching program, as announced in the Australian Government's Gazette.

The visa holder data matching program has been developed to help the ATO to detect and deal with taxation compliance issues with holders of Australian visas.

What information will be included in the data matching program?

The data from the DIBP is comprehensive and includes information such as:

Contact history for visa applicants and their sponsors
All visa grants and grant status by point in time
Migration agent data
Address and contact history for migration agents
International travel undertaken by visa holders, such as arrivals and departures
Sponsor details for 457 visas
Education providers where student visa holders intend to undertake their studies
The visa subclass code and descriptor

It is expected that data associated with more than one million individuals will be provided to the ATO.

What does this mean for visa holders?

The data matching program means that visa holders, their agents and sponsors need to be aware of their taxation obligations and ensure that they are getting appropriate advice for their employment, property, foreign asset management and other investments while residing in Australia.

To speak to a cross-border tax specialist, please contact us on 9957 4033.

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Disclaimer

This article is provided for information purposes only and correct at the time of publication. It should not be used in place of advice from your accountant. Please contact us on 02 9957 4033 to discuss your specific circumstances.