Australia urges Indians to be cautious about visa scams

The Australian High Commission here Thursday urged Indians to be cautious of scams while applying for visas and report any fraud to the authorities.

A high commission statement said it had launched a national campaign "Work visa scams. Don't pay the price" to investigate allegations of unauthorised payments to visa sponsors in return for visas last month.

"Visa fraud is a serious issue and any attempts to defraud Australia's migration programmes by a visa holder or sponsor will be dealt with by appropriate action from the department of immigration and border protection," the statement said.

The campaign involved an initial assessment of up to 100 visa sponsors who are subject to allegations of receiving payment for arranging sponsorship for individuals under the 457 visa programme.

This visa allows a skilled worker to travel to Australia to work in his nominated occupation for approved sponsor for up to four years.

The campaign also has a public education component to further educate visa sponsors about their obligations and make visa holders more aware of their rights and responsibilities.