PIC 4020: accurate information, identity and re-application bars for Carer visa applicants

PIC 4020 is the public interest criterion in Schedule 4 to the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) that refuses a visa where the applicant gave a bogus document or materially false or misleading information, or has not proved their identity, and a refusal on those grounds blocks later visas for 3 years, or 10 years for identity. For a Carer visa, clauses 116.223 and 836.223 make it a criterion at the time of decision, so every answer in a paper application that waits in the queue must be kept correct, and corrected in writing when it changes, under sections 104 and 105 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth).

What is PIC 4020?

PIC 4020 is the accuracy and identity criterion in Schedule 4 to the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), and it works through a short set of subclauses. For a Carer visa, the carer and every family member who applies must meet it at the time of decision.

What counts as false information on a Carer visa?

False information on a Carer visa is information that was false or misleading at the time it was given and is relevant to any criterion the Minister may consider, "whether or not the decision is made because of that information" (clause 4020(5)). It covers what was said about this application, and about any visa the carer held in the 12 months before applying.

A "bogus document" under section 5(1) of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) is one the Minister reasonably suspects was not issued to the person, is counterfeit or altered, or "was obtained because of a false or misleading statement, whether or not made knowingly". Clause 4020(5) contains no requirement of intent.

The Carer visa file holds more than the carer's own answers. The sponsor's Form 40, the statements about care, and the certificate from Bupa Medical Visa Services all go to the Department together. The relative who needs care also signs a declaration on Bupa's Statement of Assistance that acknowledges "there are penalties for deliberately giving false or misleading information".

The Department's providing accurate information page, updated 11 May 2026, names two offences as well: section 234 of the Migration Act (up to 10 years' imprisonment or 1,000 penalty units, or both), and section 137.1 of the Criminal Code (12 months' imprisonment).

Does PIC 4020 apply to Carer visa family members?

Yes, PIC 4020 applies to every family member who applies with the carer (clauses 116.226(1)(a) and 836.224(1)(a)). The 3-year and 10-year bars also count refusals of any member of the carer's family unit, whether or not that person is part of this application.

Family members who do not migrate are not tested against PIC 4020 themselves; the criteria for them are PICs 4001 to 4005 (clauses 116.226A and 836.224A). Even so, an earlier refusal of theirs under PIC 4020 can trigger the bars for the carer.

Neither bar applies to the applicant if the refused application was made when the applicant was under 18 (clauses 4020(2AA) and (2BA)).

What are the 3-year and 10-year bars?

The 3-year bar stops a Carer visa if the carer, or a member of the carer's family unit, was refused a visa under clause 4020(1) at any time from 3 years before the application up to the decision. The 10-year bar does the same for a refusal on identity grounds, over 10 years (clauses 4020(2) and (2B)).

Neither bar stops anyone lodging a form. Each is a criterion that the later visa application has to meet. The Department's subclass 836 page says the same about identity: an applicant who cannot prove their identity is refused, and might not be granted another visa for 10 years.

Can PIC 4020 be waived?

PIC 4020 can be waived for false information and for the 3-year bar, but not for identity. Clause 4020(4) lets the Minister waive paragraphs (1)(a) and (b) and subclause (2) in two situations:

• compelling circumstances that affect the interests of Australia; or
• compassionate or compelling circumstances that affect the interests of an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen.

The waiver does not reach subclauses (2A) and (2B), so there is no waiver for an unproven identity or the 10-year bar.

The second limb speaks of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, which is the same group that a Carer visa's resident must belong to. Whether a waiver is granted is a decision on the facts of each case.

How do you prove identity and a change of name for a Carer visa?

You prove identity for a Carer visa with your passport's personal pages, a national identity card if you have one, and a record of your birth showing both parents' names, plus certified evidence of any change of name. The checklist in Form 47OF asks for a certified copy of the birth registration. If there is none, it asks for the identity pages of a passport, a family book showing both parents, a government identity document, or a court document that verifies identity.

For a change of name, the Department's subclass 836 page lists marriage or divorce certificates, change-of-name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or an overseas authority, and documents showing other names you have been known by. Where a name is spelt differently across documents, the same evidence explains the link.

The sponsor proves identity and any change of name in the same way. The names on the relative's documents and the carer's documents need to line up, because the birth certificates that prove the relationship are also identity documents.

How do you correct a wrong answer before the Carer visa decision?

You correct a wrong answer before the Carer visa decision in three steps, and the duty to do it is set by sections 104 and 105 of the Migration Act.

1. Tell the Department in writing, as soon as practicable. Section 105 applies when an answer was wrong when it was given. Section 104 applies when an answer was right but circumstances have since changed.
2. Use the right form. Form 1023 (Notification of incorrect answer(s), design date 03/18) is for an answer that was wrong. Form 1022 is for changed circumstances. Form 929 was withdrawn in November 2024. A new address or passport now goes through ImmiAccount, or through the Department's online update forms if the application has not been imported.
3. Send it to the right place. Use ImmiAccount if the paper application has been imported, or otherwise attach the form to the Other Family Visa Processing Centre online form.

Both duties continue "despite the grant of any visa". The forms for each kind of update, including how to change your address or passport while the application waits, are set out in the guide to changes while a Carer visa is queued.

A correction is a legal duty, not a guaranteed cure. Clause 4020(3) says subclauses (1) and (2) apply whether or not the Minister learned of the information from the applicant.

Can wrong information cancel a Carer visa after grant?

Yes, wrong information can lead to a granted Carer visa being cancelled, because sections 107 to 109 of the Migration Act let the Minister cancel a visa where the holder did not comply with sections 101 to 105. After the holder has been immigration cleared, the Minister gives written notice of the possible non-compliance and invites a response before deciding (sections 107 and 108).

Section 110 says the process applies however the Minister learned of the non-compliance. Section 111 says it applies "whether the non-compliance was deliberate or inadvertent". Form 1023 warns that cancellation "is not automatic" and that a holder in Australia is given a chance to comment first.

When a granted Carer visa can be taken away, on these and other grounds, is set out in the guide to visa cancellation after grant.

How does PIC 4020 interact with a Carer visa refusal?

PIC 4020 interacts with a Carer visa refusal in two directions: it looks back at earlier refusals of the carer and the family, and a Carer visa refused under PIC 4020 starts a new 3-year or 10-year bar for later applications. A refusal on any other ground does not start either bar.

PIC 4020 sits among the carer's own criteria, beside the carer's own health under PIC 4005, and after the three links that decide whether the carer qualifies at all. A refused applicant who wants to apply for a Carer visa again should check that guide first, including the review options and the section 48 bar on applying again from inside Australia. Every other criterion is set out in the main guide to Carer visa eligibility, and the overview of both subclasses is on the Carer Visa Australia home page.

Read next

Carer visa requirements: check the three links in orderCheck each Carer visa criterion in order, from the relative's condition to the sponsor. Telling the Department about changes while a Carer visa is queuedReport a new address, passport or family change in writing while you wait. Carer visa refusal: why Carer visas are refused and what comes nextEach refusal names a failed criterion, and the ART clock starts at notification. PIC 4005 health requirement: the carer's own health on a Carer visa, with no waiverCarers must meet PIC 4005, and a Carer visa has no health waiver.