Character and Security Screening for RoS 851 in 2026: PIC 4001, 4002 and the Values Statement

If you are applying for a Resolution of Status (RoS) visa (subclass 851) in 2026, you have to clear both a character test and a security assessment, and — if you are 18 or older — make the Australian Values Statement. Clause 851.225 of the Migration Regulations 1994 puts the whole thing in one sentence: the applicant satisfies public interest criteria (PIC) 4001, 4002 and 4003A, and, if the applicant had turned 18 at the time of application, PIC 4019. The Department of Home Affairs states the same requirement in plain language on its Resolution of Status (Subclass 851) official page, where security, character and the values statement each appear as separate things you must meet. What follows is general information about how those criteria fit together, not advice about your own history; where your record is the issue, the legislation and the official pages are the authority.

What does clause 851.225 actually require of an applicant?

Four public interest criteria sit behind the one-line clause, and they cover different risks.

Public interest criterion	What it is about	Who it applies to
PIC 4001	Character	Applicants assessed under clause 851.225 (not those covered by clause 851.221A)
PIC 4002	Security	Every applicant
PIC 4003A	Weapons of mass destruction	Applicants assessed under clause 851.225 (not those covered by clause 851.221A)
PIC 4019	Australian Values Statement	Applicants who had turned 18 at the time of application

There is one carve-out. Under clause 851.221A, an applicant who was taken to have made an application because the criteria in item 5 of the table in subregulation 2.07AQ(3) were satisfied is assessed only against clauses 851.221B and 851.221C — that is, whether the Australian Government's offer of permanent residence has been withdrawn, and whether PIC 4002 is met. Character, weapons-of-mass-destruction and values criteria do not form part of that particular assessment.

How is the character criterion (PIC 4001) assessed?

The Department's public position is short: you must meet certain character requirements. The Regulations themselves do not spell the test out at clause 851.225; departmental guidance (PAM3) applies PIC 4001 by reference to the character test in subsection 501(6) of the Migration Act 1958, which is where the disqualifying categories — sentences, convictions, associations and the rest — are set out.

On documents, the official visa page is specific. If the Department asks, you must be prepared to provide a police certificate from each country you have lived in for 12 months or more during the past 10 years after you turned 16. You do not need to do this if you already provided that information with your Temporary Protection visa (subclass 785) or Safe Haven Enterprise visa (subclass 790) application. The page also says, in terms, not to arrange police certificates until the Department asks you to. Separately, the application form itself asks questions about character and travel history, and it has to be completed in full.

Departmental guidance (PAM3) adds further detail — for example, that police certificates are generally treated as current for 12 months, and that character checking is considered for applicants aged 17 or over who have been in Australia for 12 months or more, or who are in custody. That guidance is not published in the same way as the visa page, so the visa page and the Department's published guidance should be treated as the current position.

What happens in the security assessment (PIC 4002)?

The official page says only that, as part of the application process, the Department will assess whether you meet Australia's security requirements for the grant of a Resolution of Status visa. Nothing on that page tells applicants how the judgement is reached, and there is no form to fill in for it: it runs in the background during processing.

Departmental guidance (PAM3) applies PIC 4002 by reference to whether ASIO assesses the applicant as a risk to security, and treats the question whether a security assessment is needed at all as depending on factors such as the applicant's age, sex and countries of residence.

Where does the weapons of mass destruction criterion fit?

PIC 4003A appears in the same clause as the character and security criteria, so it applies to every RoS applicant outside the clause 851.221A carve-out. Departmental guidance (PAM3) describes it as an assessment of whether the applicant is associated with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. As with security, the public visa page does not set out how it is applied, and there is nothing an applicant lodges for it — it is assessed by the Department as part of processing.

Is the Australian Values Statement a real criterion, or just a tick-box?

It is a real criterion: PIC 4019, listed in the same clause as the others. On the official page, an applicant aged 18 or over must have read, or had explained to them, the Life in Australia booklet, and must confirm that they will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws when they sign or accept the Australian Values Statement. The Department's step-by-step guidance adds that the form must be completed in full, expressly including the Australian Values Statement and declaration.

One point worth noticing is the timing. Clause 851.225 attaches PIC 4019 to the applicant's age at the time of application, not at the time of decision, so the criterion is fixed when the application is lodged.

Can you put your side before a decision is made?

Yes, up to the point of decision. The official guidance says you can provide more information in writing at any time until the Department decides, and that documents you did not attach at lodgement should be attached as soon as possible in ImmiAccount. If the Department asks for more information, you will have to respond by a set date; after that date it can decide on the material it already holds. The Department also states that it will give you a chance to comment if it receives information from another person that could result in, or be part of, a decision to refuse the visa.

Two adjacent rules matter here. If you are invited to provide identity information and do not, you get an opportunity to explain why and to show the steps you took; if you do not make a genuine attempt to establish your identity, the Department may consider refusing. And where a bogus document or false or misleading identity information is suspected, departmental guidance (PAM3) sets out a written notice and an invitation to comment before any finding is made.

Location also counts at the end of the process: an applicant must be in Australia for the grant. If you are overseas when the RoS visa is ready to be granted, you will be contacted and asked to return within 28 days, and if you do not, the application may be refused.

What happens if the decision is a refusal?

The Department will tell you in writing, and the letter will state why the application was refused, your review rights — including review rights with the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) — and the time limit for lodging an application for review. Read the time limit in your own letter rather than assuming a standard period.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need police certificates for a Resolution of Status visa in 2026?

Only if the Department asks. If it does, you need one from each country you have lived in for 12 months or more during the past 10 years after turning 16. You do not need them if you already provided that information with your TPV or SHEV application, and the official page says not to arrange them until asked.

Will a criminal record automatically stop my RoS visa being granted?

Not automatically. The character criterion has to be satisfied, but the assessment is made against the character test and depends on the record and the circumstances around it. The Department's public page says only that you must meet certain character requirements, and the detail sits in the legislation and guidance rather than in a published rule of thumb.

Who carries out the security check on a subclass 851 application?

The Department says it will assess whether you meet Australia's security requirements as part of processing. Departmental guidance (PAM3) applies the criterion by reference to whether ASIO assesses the applicant as a security risk, but the public visa page does not publish how that assessment is triggered or conducted.

Is the Australian Values Statement part of the visa criteria?

Yes — it is PIC 4019, listed alongside the character, security and weapons-of-mass-destruction criteria in clause 851.225. It applies to applicants who had turned 18 at the time of application, and the official page requires them to have read or been read the Life in Australia booklet and to confirm they will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.

My children are on my application — do they face the same criteria?

The Regulations carry a note that there are no secondary criteria for the grant of a Subclass 851 visa, and family members who apply on the basis of being in the same family unit are dealt with under clauses 851.226 and 851.227. Because PIC 4019 depends on age at the time of application, an under-18 applicant is not assessed against the values criterion.

What if I am outside Australia when the Department is ready to decide?

An RoS applicant must be in Australia for the grant of the visa. If you are overseas when the visa is ready to be granted, you will be contacted and asked to return within 28 days, and the application may be refused if you do not.