The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has again signalled a zero-tolerance approach to non-compliance with visa conditions, arresting a 32-year-old Somalia-born permanent resident in Melbourne on 2 February 2026.
According to an AFP statement, the man repeatedly left his registered address during mandated curfew hours between 15 and 21 January and allowed his ankle-monitoring device to malfunction on seven occasions. He faces three counts of failing to observe curfew rules (s 76C Migration Act 1958) and seven counts of failing to maintain an electronic-monitoring device (s 76D). Each offence carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and/or a A$99,000 fine. (nationaltribune.com.au)
The case is part of a wider compliance crackdown launched after last year’s High Court decision that limited the government’s power to detain unlawful non-citizens indefinitely. Since December, more than 60 non-citizens released from immigration detention have been fitted with ankle bracelets and curfews; breaches trigger immediate criminal charges rather than administrative sanctions.
![AFP charges Somalia-born resident over electronic-monitoring and curfew breaches]()
For multinational employers the message is clear: sponsored workers and their managers must understand and document all visa-holder obligations—especially any newly imposed monitoring or reporting requirements that may flow from court rulings. Failure to do so can lead to abrupt work stoppages, reputational damage and sponsorship bars.
Immigration advisers recommend updating onboarding checklists, auditing workers subject to special conditions and ensuring after-hours contact procedures are in place so curfew alerts can be escalated quickly.
Companies looking for practical help navigating these shifting rules can turn to VisaHQ’s Australia portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/), which offers real-time visa intelligence, automated document tracking and compliance alerts that simplify curfew, monitoring and reporting obligations for both employers and individual travellers.
The accused is due to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court later today. The AFP says further arrests are likely as it reviews curfew- and monitoring-data supplied by the Department of Home Affairs.
According to an AFP statement, the man repeatedly left his registered address during mandated curfew hours between 15 and 21 January and allowed his ankle-monitoring device to malfunction on seven occasions. He faces three counts of failing to observe curfew rules (s 76C Migration Act 1958) and seven counts of failing to maintain an electronic-monitoring device (s 76D). Each offence carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and/or a A$99,000 fine. (nationaltribune.com.au)
The case is part of a wider compliance crackdown launched after last year’s High Court decision that limited the government’s power to detain unlawful non-citizens indefinitely. Since December, more than 60 non-citizens released from immigration detention have been fitted with ankle bracelets and curfews; breaches trigger immediate criminal charges rather than administrative sanctions.
For multinational employers the message is clear: sponsored workers and their managers must understand and document all visa-holder obligations—especially any newly imposed monitoring or reporting requirements that may flow from court rulings. Failure to do so can lead to abrupt work stoppages, reputational damage and sponsorship bars.
Immigration advisers recommend updating onboarding checklists, auditing workers subject to special conditions and ensuring after-hours contact procedures are in place so curfew alerts can be escalated quickly.
Companies looking for practical help navigating these shifting rules can turn to VisaHQ’s Australia portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/), which offers real-time visa intelligence, automated document tracking and compliance alerts that simplify curfew, monitoring and reporting obligations for both employers and individual travellers.
The accused is due to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court later today. The AFP says further arrests are likely as it reviews curfew- and monitoring-data supplied by the Department of Home Affairs.
