Political events like Brexit and Trump’s presidential election might have seen Australia benefit from their aftermath, with Australia’s technology, research and engineering industries set to poach key talent to drive a boom in its innovative, new-economy industries. With Donald Trump’s presidency and anti-immigration policies now upon us and the UK’s “Hard Brexit” about to start in earnest, the […]
READ MORE6 Month Work Rule Extended for Working Holiday Makers
Working Holiday Makers (WHMs) will now be able to work for the same employer for longer than 6 months while on the same working holiday visa, as a result of changes to the 6 month work rule introduced on 27 March 2017. What is changing? Until now, WHMs were limited by condition 8547 to work for a […]
READ MORESelling visas not pizzas: Dominos liable for charging for visa sponsorship
Dodgy Migration Practices To Be Met With Severe Penalties The recent Fairfax investigation into the popular pizza fast good chain ‘Dominos’ has uncovered not only practices of underpayment of migrant workers, but also exposed “selling” sponsorship activity by franchisees who were offering visa sponsorship for $30,000-150,000. The Fairfax Investigation, ‘The Domino’s effect’ uncovered issues of […]
READ MOREReducing salaries for visa holders – can you do it?
Some employers may look at reducing employees’ salaries or bonuses in tough financial times as an alternative to terminating staff. However, there is a lot of uncertainty regarding whether it could be considered a breach of contract, or a violation of employee’s workplace rights. Can you reduce an employee’s salary? Firstly, you must ensure that […]
READ MORECase Study: How Overseas Talent Can Create Jobs for Australian Engineers
I recently read a news article decrying that overseas engineers were taking the jobs of Australian engineers. The story went on to talk about how graduates of engineering degrees were unable to find work in utilities companies and were resorting to careers in software design and coding. Engineers are an occupation listed on its consolidated skilled […]
READ MOREWhy immigration is good for innovation in Australia
A letter to Mr Shorten (read our full article on Medium here) Migration is a key feature of a more interconnected world. Despite recent concerns about sovereignty and migration’s economic and social implications, the movement of people across the world’s borders has been shown to boost global productivity. The countries that prioritise integration stand to […]
READ MORERaids on supermarket suppliers employing unlawful migrant workers
Source: Australian Border Force Vizzarri Farms, the nation’s biggest asparagus producer and a supplier to Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and Costco, was raided last week in a major raid involving more than 75 Australian Border Force (ABF) agents with support of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO), in relation to allegations of employing […]
READ MOREUnfair dismissal for 457 visa sponsors
Employers must comply with fair work laws when employing local and foreign employees in Australia – including providing the minimum terms and conditions of employment as prescribed by the Fair Work Act, the applicable modern award (if any) or enterprise agreement. Employees on temporary visas (such as work visas, working holiday or student visas) can make a […]
READ MOREDid you know: Your social media profile can impact your visa?
Beware of contradictory information on Facebook. Recently, a visa applicant was before the Federal Circuit Court of Australia appealing a decision on his visa application. In that case, the Court ruled that material on the Facebook page of a visa applicant is “information” about “evidentiary material” used to determine the whether an applicant’s claims made […]
READ MOREWhy is immigration compliance important?
In 2016, the level of regulatory scrutiny and enforcement activity in the immigration space has increased substantially. This is in part due to the Department of Immigration becoming an enforcement agency with the establishment of the Australian Border Force (and in some cases, a criminal enforcement agency), and new dual role of Fair Work Inspectors to investigate and enforce […]
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