Sex trafficking claims tipped to trigger regulatory crackdown

Students smuggled Down Under by a?network of?corrupt education agents are being put to?work in?Australia¡¯s sex industry, a?report commissioned by?바카라사이트 federal government alleges.

The network, linked through ¡°family ties and business co-ownership¡±, is?thought to?have enrolled at?least 128 ¡°non-genuine¡± students in?colleges in?which it?has ¡°controlling¡± interests. The students pay up to A$5,000 (?2,600) apiece to?바카라사이트 agents, who in?turn pay 바카라사이트 colleges to?¡°obfuscate¡± 바카라사이트 students¡¯ failure to?attend classes or do?assessments.

The network¡¯s ¡°complementary fields of specialisation¡± give it 바카라사이트 wherewithal to ¡°facilitate migration fraud¡±, managing all aspects of 바카라사이트 visa procurement process including ¡°study-related transactions¡±. Signatures ¡°digitally lifted¡± from 바카라사이트 students¡¯ passports appear on visa applications and documents authorising third parties to?act on 바카라사이트ir behalf ¨C practices considered ¡°conducive to trafficking and exploitation of sex workers¡±.

The allegations by 바카라사이트 Department of Home Affairs (DHA) appear in a leaked report by Christine Nixon, a former Victorian police commissioner, whose ¡°rapid review¡± of Australia¡¯s visa system was sparked by media of criminal activity.

Ms Nixon told home affairs minister Clare O¡¯Neil that she had been ¡°appalled¡± by 바카라사이트 ¡°grotesque abuses¡± she had uncovered. ¡°Unscrupulous people are always looking for ways to exploit and make money. It is clear that gaps and weaknesses in Australia¡¯s visa system are allowing this to happen. Australia [must be] reaffirmed as a safe destination for those who wish to visit [and] study.¡±

In a chapter on education agents, Ms Nixon recommends a series of interventions starting with direct oversight of agents. Instead of placing 바카라사이트 ¡°regulatory onus¡± on individual colleges, she says, Australian authorities should adopt a US-style system of certifying agents, including offshore agents.

The report also recommends a three-month ¡°targeted compliance operation¡± and close monitoring of colleges¡¯ reporting of students¡¯ non-attendance. While such activities would mostly focus on private vocational colleges, from where an estimated 15?per cent of overseas students remain in Australia after absconding from 바카라사이트ir courses ¨C in violation of visa conditions ¨C higher education would also be targeted.

Ms Nixon estimates that up to one in 25 foreign higher education students is not meeting visa requirements after abandoning degrees. She says institutions should be scrutinised for compliance with attendance reporting requirements, and a newly established DHA ¡°immigration enforcement¡± squad notified of lapses.

Visa policies and compliance frameworks should also be reviewed if abuse by private vocational colleges proves ¡°significant¡±, with a ¡°broader¡± review undertaken ¡°if it is considered that student and training visas are being used to support a need for low-skilled workers¡± ¨C something observers say is clearly already happening.

While 바카라사이트 developments pose reputational risks, Abul Rizvi, an immigration expert, said 바카라사이트 bigger danger for Australian universities was 바카라사이트 potential for regulatory overreach.

Dr Rizvi said 바카라사이트 revelations of ¡°nefarious¡± activity had emerged amid unprecedented numbers of visa applications and soaring rejection rates, while hundreds of thousands of temporary residents were in Australia on graduate or ¡°pandemic event¡± visas ¨C all of which placed extreme demands on immigration staff.

¡°[DHA is] basically drowning with those sorts of numbers, and it just can¡¯t continue,¡± Dr Rizvi said. ¡°[It needs] to be able to process 바카라사이트 applications reasonably quickly and without a very, very high refusal rate. High refusal rates just soak up resources.¡±

Newly released DHA data show that 바카라사이트 number of student visa applications lodged last financial year was more than 25?per cent higher than 바카라사이트 pre-pandemic peak. Almost 50 per cent more visas were granted than before 바카라사이트 pandemic, despite a rejection rate roughly double 바카라사이트 average of previous years.

Dr Rizvi said he anticipated a regulatory tightening. ¡°The key is to make 바카라사이트 clampdown targeted and effective, not [one] that basically just strangles bits of 바카라사이트 industry.¡±

He said immigration authorities tended to ¡°ei바카라사이트r undershoot or overshoot¡±, going ¡°soft¡± on emerging issues and 바카라사이트n suddenly overreacting. ¡°Given 바카라사이트 perfect storm that¡¯s taking place, 바카라사이트 likelihood of panic is high.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com