Immigration compliance officers are targeting regional areas. Photo: Department of Home Affairs.
Immigration compliance officers have visited businesses in Griffith and Leeton as part of a national campaign to tackle criminal exploitation and misuse of Australia’s visa system.
The campaign is being conducted by the Federal Government’s Department of Home Affairs, which is responsible for overseeing immigration matters.
The department said officers visited farms and labour hire businesses to assist migrant workers, remind companies of their obligations under immigration law, and target people doing the wrong thing.
Home Affairs Commander Field Operations and Sponsor Monitoring, Ben Biddington, said migrant workers played a key part in the economy, particularly in remote and regional communities.
“Australia will not tolerate the abuse of its visa system, nor the exploitation of migrant workers,” Commander Biddington said.
“Our officers dedicate themselves to protecting and assisting migrant workers, particularly those in regional areas.
“As part of recent compliance activities, our officers reminded employers in the Griffith and Leeton area that it is an offence to employ or exploit migrant workers or non-citizens, and that they risk facing severe penalties for allowing illegal work.”
Immigration compliance officers regularly visit regions throughout the country to undertake compliance and enforcement operations under immigration law to stop and prevent the exploitation of migrant workers and Australia’s migration system.
The Department of Home Affairs often works closely with other agencies, including the Fair Work Ombudsman. Just this week, the two agencies conducted surprise inspections of about 40 NSW businesses employing migrant workers in the hospitality sector.
Commander Biddington reminded employers of migrant workers that there was no excuse for exploiting employees or Australia’s visa system.
“Our message is clear: do the right thing and abide by your obligations. If you don’t, the consequences could be severe,” he said.
“It has never been easier to comply with your obligations set out under the law.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government also launched two pilot programs recently to strengthen protections against visa cancellations for workers who report exploitation.
The Workplace Justice Visa is being introduced to allow eligible migrant workers to remain in Australia while they take action against an employer if their rights have been breached.
Further, under the new reporting protections, the Department of Home Affairs must consider whether exploitation has occurred when deciding whether to cancel a person’s visa where a breach of visa conditions has occurred.
Joshua Strutt, CEO and principal solicitor at the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre (IARC), welcomed the pilots as being key to fighting the exploitation of migrant workers.
“The migration system can effectively trap visa holders and give power to employers to exploit workers and let them get away with it,” Mr Strutt said.
”These reforms are a crucial step towards giving that power back to migrant workers.
“Together, these pilots, which were co-designed with advocates, will make it easier for migrant workers to speak up about exploitation and harder for employers to do the wrong thing and get away with it.”
To access the new visa, applicants must follow certain eligibility criteria and have their claim certified by an eligible organisation.
Employers can check the work rights of prospective employees by using Home Affairs’ Visa Entitlement Verification Online system to ensure they do not inadvertently allow illegal work.
New laws make it a criminal offence for employers to use a person’s immigration status to exploit them in the workplace. Criminal penalties include up to two years’ jail and/or a fine of up to $118,800.
The Department of Home Affairs advises non-citizens who do not hold a visa to make arrangements to leave Australia as soon as possible to avoid detention and removal.
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