You may all be aware of the recent wages scandal at 7 Eleven stores throughout Australia. The company is accused of widespread underpayment of staff across its network of 620 stores. It is believed that over 4000 mostly international students are victims of wage exploitation, some of whom it is accused are earning as little as $5 an hour.
Many of the International students are concerned about coming forward against the company for fear of having their student visas cancelled due to working in excess of 40 hours a fortnight. They are requesting a 'Visa Amnesty' to allow them to come forward without fear of being deported. This story has raised the issue of exploitation of international students within Australia. Certainly here in Perth we have heard stories of employers demanding large payments to proceed to sponsor these workers within their businesses. The bottom line is if you are asked to pay money to a potential employer to sponsor you it is strongly advisable to walk away as you potentially could have your current visa cancelled.
There is currently a bill in front of Parliament that (Migration Amendment (Charging for a Migration Outcome) Bill 2015 ) if passed will make it unlawful for a person to ask for, receive, offer or provide payment or other benefits in return for a range of sponsorship-related events. The Bill also allows visa cancellation to be considered where the visa holder has engaged in such conduct, referred to as ‘Payment for Visas’ conduct”. The bill potentially if passed would affect all company sponsored visas, such as the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187), the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) and the Temporary Work (subclass 457).
Many of the International students are concerned about coming forward against the company for fear of having their student visas cancelled due to working in excess of 40 hours a fortnight. They are requesting a 'Visa Amnesty' to allow them to come forward without fear of being deported. This story has raised the issue of exploitation of international students within Australia. Certainly here in Perth we have heard stories of employers demanding large payments to proceed to sponsor these workers within their businesses. The bottom line is if you are asked to pay money to a potential employer to sponsor you it is strongly advisable to walk away as you potentially could have your current visa cancelled.
There is currently a bill in front of Parliament that (Migration Amendment (Charging for a Migration Outcome) Bill 2015 ) if passed will make it unlawful for a person to ask for, receive, offer or provide payment or other benefits in return for a range of sponsorship-related events. The Bill also allows visa cancellation to be considered where the visa holder has engaged in such conduct, referred to as ‘Payment for Visas’ conduct”. The bill potentially if passed would affect all company sponsored visas, such as the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187), the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) and the Temporary Work (subclass 457).
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