Last updated: 16/09/2026
1. About this policy
Onside Immigration Lawyers ("Onside", "we", "us" or "our") is a law practice based in Sydney, New South Wales, providing immigration law services. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal information we hold about you.
This policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and how you can access or correct your information or raise a concern with us.
This policy applies to personal information we collect through our website (onsideimmigrationlawyers.com.au), by phone, email, in person, and in the course of providing legal services to our clients. It does not form part of, and does not vary, any costs agreement or retainer we enter into with a client.
2. Who we are
Onside Lawyers Pty Ltd is an incorporated legal practice registered in New South Wales.
Registered office: 33 Railway Terrace, Schofields NSW 2762
Phone: +61 414 835 105
Email: info@onsidelawyers.com.au
Website: www.onsideimmigrationlawyers.com.au
Privacy contact: Tiara Dalpadado, Principal Solicitor
3. What personal information we collect
The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us. It may include:
Contact details: name, email address, phone number, and any details you provide through our website's enquiry form.
Enquiry and matter information: the details you give us about your immigration matter, including visa history, travel history, employment, education, relationship and family circumstances, and any documents you provide or upload.
Client identification information: if you become a client, we are required by law (see section 7 below) to collect and verify identity documents such as your passport, visa, driver's licence or other government-issued ID, and in some matters, information about the source of funds for a transaction.
Technical and usage information: such as IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited and referral source, collected automatically when you use our website (see section 8, Cookies and analytics).
Marketing preferences: your email address and preferences if you subscribe to updates from us (see section 9).
We do not knowingly collect more personal information than we need for the purpose it is collected for.
4. Sensitive information
Some immigration matters unavoidably involve sensitive information under the Privacy Act, for example, health information (such as medical examination results required for a visa application), information about relationship status, or information from which racial or ethnic origin can be inferred (such as country of birth or citizenship).
We only collect sensitive information where it is reasonably necessary for your immigration matter, where you have provided it to us voluntarily in the course of instructing us, or where we are otherwise permitted or required to by law. We will not use or disclose sensitive information for any purpose other than the primary purpose for which it was collected, or a directly related secondary purpose you would reasonably expect, unless you consent or an exception under the Privacy Act applies.
5. How we collect personal information
We usually collect personal information directly from you, through our website enquiry form, by email, telephone, or in a consultation. Where it is reasonable and practicable, we will collect information directly from you rather than from a third party.
We may also collect personal information from other sources, including:
migration agents, accountants, or other professionals who refer you to us or assist with your matter (with your authorisation);
family members, employers or sponsors involved in your application (where relevant to your matter);
the Department of Home Affairs and other Australian Government agencies, where necessary to act on your instructions;
publicly available sources, where appropriate.
6. Why we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information
We collect, hold, use and disclose personal information for purposes including:
responding to enquiries made through our website or by other means;
providing legal advice and representation, and managing your matter, including preparing and lodging applications with the Department of Home Affairs, the Administrative Review Tribunal, or other relevant bodies;
verifying your identity, in accordance with our professional and legal obligations;
billing, trust accounting, and practice administration;
complying with our obligations under the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW), the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth), and other applicable law;
sending you updates or marketing communications, where you have opted in (see section 9);
improving our website and services; and
any other purpose you would reasonably expect, or that we notify you of at the time of collection.
7. Client identification and record-keeping obligations
As a legal practice, Onside is subject to identity verification and record-keeping obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth), which extended to legal practitioners providing certain "designated services" from 1 July 2026. Where these obligations apply to your matter, we are required to collect and verify identification documents (such as a passport or driver's licence) and, in some cases, information about the source of funds, and to retain this information for the periods required by law, generally at least seven years after our engagement ends.
We are also required, under the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) and associated professional conduct rules, to retain client files for a minimum period (generally at least seven years, and longer for some categories of matter), which may extend how long we hold your personal information beyond the general retention practices described in section 11.
8. Cookies and website analytics
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to help it function and to understand how visitors use the site.
We use Google Analytics to collect aggregated, non-identifying statistical information about website visits, such as pages viewed, time on site, device type and general location (derived from IP address), to help us understand and improve how our site is used. Google Analytics may set cookies on your device and may process this data outside Australia, including in the United States, subject to Google's own privacy and data handling practices. You can find out more, or opt out of Google Analytics tracking generally, via the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on (tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout).
Most browsers let you refuse or delete cookies through their settings. If you disable cookies, some parts of our website may not function as intended.
9. Email updates and marketing
If you subscribe to updates from us, for example, through a newsletter sign-up on our website, we will use your email address to send you the communications you have opted in to receive, in accordance with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). Every marketing email we send will include a simple way to unsubscribe, and we will action any unsubscribe request promptly. We will not add you to our mailing list without your consent.
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.
10. Disclosure of personal information
We may disclose your personal information to:
the Department of Home Affairs, the Administrative Review Tribunal, and other government or regulatory bodies, as necessary to progress your matter or comply with the law;
barristers, migration agents, interpreters, or other professionals engaged to assist with your matter;
our professional advisers, including our accountant and professional indemnity insurer (Lawcover);
our IT, website hosting, email, cloud storage and practice management service providers, who process personal information on our behalf and are required to keep it confidential;
a person you have authorised us to share information with (such as a family member, sponsor or referring adviser); or
any other party where required or authorised by law, or with your consent.
Overseas disclosure. Some of the service providers we use to run our practice and website, including email, cloud storage, and website analytics providers, store or process data on servers located outside Australia, including in the United States. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure these providers handle personal information in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles, including by relying on providers with appropriate security and privacy safeguards. We do not otherwise disclose personal information to overseas recipients.
11. Data quality and security
We take reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we hold is accurate, complete and up to date, and to protect it from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. These steps include restricting access to personal information to staff who need it to do their jobs, using secure, reputable cloud and email providers, and password-protecting and encrypting sensitive files where appropriate.
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes it was collected, or as required by law. As set out in section 7, client matter files are generally retained for at least seven years in accordance with our professional obligations. Where personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it.
No method of storage or transmission over the internet is completely secure. While we take reasonable steps to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
12. Automated decision-making
We do not currently use automated decision-making (such as automated eligibility screening or AI-driven triage tools) that makes or substantially contributes to a decision significantly affecting your legal rights or interests. If this changes, we will update this policy to describe the kinds of personal information used and the categories of decisions involved, consistent with the transparency requirements commencing under the Privacy Act from 10 December 2026.
13. Access to and correction of your personal information
You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, and to ask us to correct it if it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading. To make a request, contact us using the details in section 17.
We will respond within a reasonable period (generally within 30 days). In some circumstances permitted by law, we may need to withhold access, for example, where giving access would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others, or where information is subject to legal professional privilege. If we refuse a request, we will explain why.
There is generally no charge to request access to or correction of your personal information, although we may charge a reasonable fee to cover the cost of retrieving and providing copies of a large or complex client file.
14. Children's privacy
Our website is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children through it. Where a matter involves a minor (for example, a dependent child included in a family visa application), we collect the minimum information necessary and rely on the consent and instructions of the minor's parent or legal guardian.
15. How to make a complaint
If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve it:
Phone: +61 414 835 105
Email: info@onsidelawyers.com.au
Post: Privacy Officer, Onside Lawyers Pty Ltd, 33 Railway Terrace, Schofields NSW 2762
Please include your name, contact details, and a description of your concern. We will acknowledge your complaint promptly and aim to resolve it within a reasonable time.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):
Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992
Complaints about our conduct as a legal practice can also be made to the Office of the NSW Legal Services Commissioner.
16. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in the law. The current version will always be available on our website, with the "last updated" date shown at the top.
17. Contact us
If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us:
Onside Immigration Lawyers
33 Railway Terrace, Schofields NSW 2762
+61 414 835 105
info@onsidelawyers.com.au
www.onsideimmigrationlawyers.com.au