Students from many countries reach Australia with a dream to pursue their higher studies. The country offers many opportunities to the students, as it houses more than 40 globally recognized universities. In the list of the top one hundred universities globally, you can easily find around seven to ten universities from Australia.

If you are interested in studying in Australia, you must prepare for procuring an Australian student visa. For obtaining a student visa to Australia, one should follow a few protocols and guidelines. Along with your identification documents and educational certificates, you must provide a background history document.

National Police Check (NPC) is a document that international students need to show when applying for admission to any Australian university. So, how to obtain the police check West Australia? In the following section, you can find a detailed guide on this matter.

An Introduction to Australian National Police Check

If you apply for a job in Australia, submitting the National Police Check document is common. Students follow the same while applying for admission to a college or university. Domestic students in Australia may also need to submit their police check documents, not only students from abroad.

What makes the document so important? The National Police Check (NPC) is a document that shows the criminal background of a person. NPC is popular in other names too. For example, people formally call it Criminal Background Check, Police Clearance Certificate, National Criminal Check, etc.

The purpose of the document is to obtain detailed information on the criminal history of a person. If the person had involvement in serious criminal activities in the past, colleges and universities might not offer admission to such students. The document also includes basic information and the educational backgrounds of a person. Thus, institutions can verify the information rendered by students through the document.

How to Obtain a National Police Check?

International students can obtain a police check West Australia through a few simple steps. The good thing is that you do not have to go anywhere for the document. You can apply online. International students seeking admission to colleges and universities in Australia can apply for the police check document through a government-approved website.

You need to visit the website and select the type of criminal background check document you want to obtain. The next step is uploading your identity-related documents. Make sure that you enter a valid document. In most cases, it takes around 24-48 hours to obtain the document. In a few cases, delays can happen.

Delays happen when you do not submit the correct documents. Moreover, not following the application instructions precisely can also cause delays.

Documents Needed for National Police Check

For obtaining a National Police Check document, international students should provide documents that prove their identity. There are three categories for the document, and each category carries certain points.

Category A

Under category A, each document that you show will carry 70 points. Your Australian passport and international passport will come under this category. Keep in mind that a cancelled passport is not valid.

Category B

Under category B, you can show many documents. Some of them are a driving license in Australia, an aviation security identity card, a photo ID of your current educational institution, etc. The first document submitted under this category will have 40 points, while additional documents will carry 25 points.

Category C

Under the third category, each document will carry 25 points. In this category are birth certificates, foreign driving licenses, health cards, government-issued documents for proof of age, etc.

For police check West Australia, you need to upload documents that are worth at least 100 points. You cannot obtain a police check report if you upload documents less than 100 points.

Can You Still Study in Australia with a Criminal Background?

The criminal history of a person is a subject of assessment. Educational institutions reject admission applications for students who have serious criminal records. If you do not have a serious criminal record, you can easily find admission to Australian colleges or universities. For minor crimes, every institution has a separate assessment system.

Will Your Data Remain Confidential?

The data you submit for police check West Australia will remain confidential when choosing a legitimate and government-approved website for obtaining the National Police Check document. Many third-party websites offer background check service. But, all of them do not have the authorization to provide police check documents. So, you must find a website that has the approval of the Australian government.

How Long the Police Check Document Will Remain Valid?

After obtaining the National Federal Police Check, you can use the document for five years. However, some colleges or universities may want an updated National Police Check. Thus, you need to get the latest document for applying for admission to such Australian educational institutions.