Can you escalate my police check – its been too long!

Understanding when — and why — a police check can be prioritised.

We understand that waiting for a police-check result can be frustrating, especially if you’re eager to start work. Many people in this situation also need a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check for employment or onboarding. However, Worker Checks and all other ACIC-accredited providers must follow national processing rules.

Why standard checks can’t be escalated #

Once your Worker Checks police check is submitted, it’s securely processed through the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and state and territory police agencies. After submission, no provider — including Worker Checks — can change the order, speed, or manual-review timing.

There is no general escalation process for standard checks. All requests must meet ACIC’s definition of an Urgent Priority.

What counts as an “Urgent Priority” #

An Urgent Priority may only be applied where a delay in results could directly affect the care, safety, or provision of essential community services. ACIC recognises four broad categories:

1. Specialist skills needed for an emergency or disaster response
2. Political reasons, including national security (Australian Government only)
3. Medical reasons, where a specialist is urgently required
4. Child-related processes, such as adoption or emergency foster-care placement

These are understandably important, but do not meet ACIC’s urgent-priority threshold.

What Worker Checks can do #

If you believe your circumstances genuinely fit one of the urgent categories above, please contact [email protected] with evidence (e.g. an agency letter or emergency request). Worker Checks will review your situation and, if applicable, formally submit an urgent-priority request to ACIC.

Otherwise, your check will continue through the standard processing queue. Worker Checks’ efficient processing returns 80% of Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Checks within 1–3 minutes, depending on review requirements.