24 October 2008

Samoans warned of fake Australian visa dealers

The Australian High Commission in Samoa has warned locals fake visa dealers are selling temporary Australian visas as part of the new guest worker scheme in Australia, reports ABC Radio Australia.

In a statement, the High Commission said it has already received a large number of Samoans wishing to take part in the Australian guest worker scheme, due to go live before Christmas this year. 

The guest worker scheme is a pilot program that will allow thousands of Pacific Islanders from Vanuatu, Tonga, Kiribati, and Papua New Guinea to work temporarily in regional parts of Australia in the horticultural industry.  The Australian Government is providing 2,500 visas for nationals from these countries, and each Australia visa will allow guest workers to remain in Australia for up to seven months of a twelve-month period.  

The Australian Government has not included Samoa in the pilot seasonal worker scheme, and has therefore warned Samoans to be wary of anyone trying to sell them a temporary visa for Australia, particularly recruitment firms.

In related news, the Australian Government has been urged to not scrap the seasonal guest worker scheme in response to the global financial crisis and concerns about rising unemployment.  A representative from the horticultural industry has told the Government cutting back the scheme would not solve problems with Australian employment but would further damage the Australian economy.

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The Australian Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people with their Australian visa application.

Article by Jessica Bird, Australian Visa Bureau.