The Australian government announced a new initiative aimed at addressing alleged abuses of its migration and visa system, with a particular focus on deterring human trafficking and organized crime. The initiative comes as a response to a review led by former Chief Commissioner of the Victoria Police, Christine Nixon.
The review identified several weaknesses and gaps in the current system, that leaves room for serious visa and migration fraud and other forms of organized crime. Among the issues flagged were exploitations by registered migration agents, education agents and education providers; employer abuse and exploitation of temporary migrant workers; unverified identity and criminal history in visa application processes; and substantial processing times for some visa subclasses which indirectly fueled the abuse of Australia’s system.
The government’s response proposed multiple measures including strengthening the regulation of registered migration agents and enhancing the investigative and enforcement capacities. The proposal also includes the strengthening of Department’s Integrity and Professional Standards Framework to tackle staff corruption, fraud and other unlawful activities.
In line with these efforts, the Australian government plans to allocate $50 million over 4 years to establish a new Immigration Compliance Division within the Department of Home Affairs. The new division will specifically target organized abuse of immigration programs and resolve the status of people whose visa options have been exhausted, but who remain in Australia.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister, Clare O’Neil, mentioned the establishment of a permanent strike force which will move around the immigration system to address the identified issues and hold accountable those responsible for them.
The new measures have been welcomed by Australian immigrant rights groups. Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS) responded positively to the government’s initiative, stating their relief towards the government taking steps to assure swift safety and access for people seeking asylum. The Refugee Council of Australia also expressed their support, hoping for much-needed changes to Australia’s onshore protection system.