Character · Evidence
Character Reference Letters for a Visa or s501 Matter
When a visa is refused or cancelled on character grounds, references from the people who know the person are part of the evidence. Most are written badly. What a reference has to acknowledge, who should write it, and what makes the decision-maker give it weight.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Acknowledge the offence?
- Yes, always
- Best writers
- People who see you often
- How many
- Several, from different roles
- On its own
- Never decides the case
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About the CPD →Why references matter in a character matter
A decision to refuse or cancel a visa under section 501 is made by weighing the person’s offending and the risk to the community against everything else about them: their family, the best interests of any children, how long they have lived here, their work and their rehabilitation. The relevant Ministerial Direction sets out what has to be weighed. References are how the people who know the person put that "everything else" in front of the decision-maker. In a Tribunal review they are formal evidence, and the writer may be asked about what they wrote.
The rule that cannot be broken: acknowledge the offending
A reference that does not mention what the person did, or that says they are "not the kind of person who would do that", tells the decision-maker the writer either does not know or is not being straight. Either way the reference loses its weight. The writer should state plainly that they know about the offending, then explain what they have seen of the person since: the change, the responsibility taken, the steps toward rehabilitation.
Who should write one
- An employer or manager who sees the person at work every week
- Family members, especially a partner and adult children, who can speak to the person’s role in the household and what a refusal or cancellation would mean for them
- A counsellor, program coordinator or caseworker who can speak to treatment and rehabilitation, ideally alongside their own report
- A community, sporting or religious leader who knows the person through regular involvement
Several references from different parts of the person’s life carry more weight than one from a prominent person who barely knows them.
What a strong reference covers
- The writer’s full name, occupation, contact details, and their own status in Australia
- How they know the person, in what capacity, and for how long
- That they know of the offending, in their own words
- What they have observed since: conduct, work, sobriety or treatment, responsibilities taken on, with specific examples and approximate dates
- The person’s role in their family and community, and who depends on them
- The concrete effect a refusal or cancellation would have on the writer and others
- A signature and date; your representative will say whether a statutory declaration is better in your matter
Mistakes that make a reference worthless
- Minimising the offending or blaming others, which suggests the person has not taken responsibility
- Identical letters signed by different people, which suggests none of them wrote their own
- General praise without examples: "a good person" says nothing a decision-maker can weigh
- Claims the writer cannot support, which can be tested and can damage the whole case
- Arriving late. Response periods in character matters can be short; references gathered after the deadline may never be read
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General information only. Character matters turn on their facts and on the Ministerial Direction in force at the time of the decision. Deadlines can be short; get advice on your own matter promptly. Criminal law advice is a lawyer’s. Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent, MARN 1576536.
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MARN 1576536 · practising since 2015 · contact details
Questions we get asked first
Does a character reference need to mention the offence?
Yes. A reference that does not show the writer knows what the person did reads as uninformed, and the decision-maker gives it little weight. The writer should say they know about the offending and then explain what they have seen since.
Who should write a character reference for a visa matter?
People who know the person well and have seen them over time: an employer, a family member, a community or religious leader, a counsellor or program coordinator. Several references from different parts of the person’s life carry more weight than one from a prominent stranger.
Should a character reference be a statutory declaration?
Signed and dated references with the writer’s contact details are commonly accepted. A statutory declaration can add weight where the facts matter. Ask your representative what the decision-maker or Tribunal expects in your matter.
What should a character reference cover?
How the writer knows the person and for how long, that they know of the offending, what they have seen of the person’s conduct, rehabilitation and responsibilities since, the person’s role in family and community, and the effect a refusal or cancellation would have on others.
Can references alone overturn a character decision?
No. References are one piece of the evidence assessed under the relevant Ministerial Direction, alongside the offending, the risk to the community, the best interests of any children and the person’s ties. They work best inside a properly built submission.
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