Australian embassy visa office in Iran shut down ‘amid corruption claims’

An Australian government visa processing office in Iran has been shut down due to corruption claims, according to reports. 

The Department of Home Affairs confirmed it closed its visa processing office in the Australian Embassy in Tehran on June 19, 2018.

The closure followed warnings that some migration agents were boasting of corruptly obtaining visas through a contact in the Australian embassy, the ABC reported.

A letter detailing the allegations was sent to the embassy in January 2017. 

The letter was then set to the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity for investigation, with officers questioning several Iranians in Australia about how they got their visas, according to the ABC.

But a Home Affairs spokesperson told 9News the office was closed in line with the government’s “continuing expansion of its online services” for people seeking to apply for visas and citizenship.

The spokesperson also said visa and citizenship applications from people in Iran are now being processed in other Home Affairs offices.