Optus Data Breach & Your Visa
In light of the recent Optus data breach, we’d like to flag some of the admin that might slip your mind when tackling the fallout from the breach (or any data leak).
In the current climate, misuse of personal data can have devastating consequences, so it is imperative that we safeguard our personal data. Visa applicants provide a huge amount of personal information, a lot of which may impact their immigration status in Australia, in a variety of ways.
For visa applicants or holders, additional impacts could include:
Leaked data being used to access your Immi Account or contact the DHA on your behalf
Submitting an FOI to obtain even further information
Missing important DHA notices (eg grant notices, requests, cancellation notices) in the event that your lose access to, or change, your contact details
Visa Holders
If you have your own Immi Account, be sure to update any change in details on your account details (log in>manage account), as well as on any relevant visa applications (log in>select the application>Update Details>select which you want to update).
If you used an Immigration lawyers/agents who helped you with your current visa (or previous visa if you hold a bridging visa), be sure to notify them and request they update your details in their Immi Account and on their file for you as well.
Details that you might change include:
Phone Number
Email
Passport
Residential and/or postal address
Visa Applicants
If you have your own Immi Account, be sure to update any change in details on your account details (log in>manage account) as well as on any pending visa applications (log in>select the application>Update Details>select which you want to update).
If you have changed any other identity documents provided in your application, we suggest submitting a notice of change in circumstances to give the new information and mentioning the change is due to the Optus data breach.
If you have engaged an immigration lawyer or agent with an undecided visa application, be sure to notify them and request they update your details in their Immi Account and on their file as well.
Details that you might change include:
Phone Number
Email
Passport
Residential and/or postal address
Other identity documents, such as drivers licence
Visa Sidekick Clients
If your data was included in the breach, please let us know and we will make a note of it, so that if anything potentially fishy comes up (like an email with a sudden wish to withdraw a visa application) we can try to take extra precautions when responding, such as calling you to confirm your email instructions.
Where possible, we utilise a secure online portal for each of our visa clients to ensure data and documents can securely be provided to us. The data leaked for Optus customers, is nothing compared to the amount of data that is involved in a visa application, so security of client information is of great importance to us.
For added security, our client portal has the option of adding two-factor authentication to their client portal. Contact us for a fact sheet with instructions on how to add this to your portal. This security measure is optional, but we do recommend it.
More Information
Optus has confirmed that customers affected will be eligible for an Equifax Protect subscription. There may be more assistance to come. You should contact Optus for further information on these offers.
Other helpful resources:
- https://www.oaic.gov.au/updates/news-and-media/advice-on-optus-data-breach
- https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/data-breaches/respond-to-a-data-breach-notification
- https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/data-breaches/identity-fraud
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out.