Obligation – Records That Must Be Kept

Types of records that must be kept

A sponsor must keep the following types of records.

In relation to the obligation to pay return travel costs, a record of:

• the written request by the primary sponsored applicant (primary visa holder) or secondary sponsored applicant (dependents of the primary sponsored applicant) for the payment of return travel costs
• when the above mentioned request was received and a record of how the sponsor has complied with the request to pay the return travel costs, including:
  • the costs paid
  • who the costs were paid for
    and
  • the date of the payment of the costs.

In relation to the obligation to report certain events:

• a record of a notification that was made to the department that the sponsor was required to make
• a record of the date on which the sponsor notified immigration, the method by which the notification was made and where the notification was made.

A detailed list of the types of events that must be reported to Immigration is available.
See: Obligation – Provide Information to Immigration When Certain Events Occur

How records must be kept

All the records must be in a reproducible format and some must be capable of being verified by an independent person.

How long records must be kept

This obligation starts to apply on the day the sponsorship is approved.

This obligation ends two years after the concurrence of the following two events:

• the approved sponsorship ceases
• there are no sponsored applicants in relation to the sponsorship.

However, no record need be kept for more than five years under this obligation.