vSure Visa and Work Rights Compliance Blog

Audit exposes serious flaws on tracking visa holders breaching their conditions

The Australian National Audit Office has released a report on the Department of Home Affairs’ ability to manage compliance with visa conditions. The report found that budget cuts had compromised the Department of Home Affairs effectiveness on tracking people overstaying and working in breach of their visa conditions. Recommendations in the report include: Improving the

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An interview with vSure Founder Mark Webster

What was your main inspiration for forming vSure? When the Employer Sanctions legislation came into force in 2013, I realised that this put businesses hiring temporary visa holders at significant risk. Under the legislation, employers face fines of $15,000 or more for any worker in breach of visa conditions. Immigration no longer needs to show

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Credit Card Surcharge to Increase Visa Application Fees

Effective from 19 April 2014 the Department of Home Affairs has implemented a credit card surcharge for all visa application charges paid via credit card. The new charges will apply to all applications lodged online, and any paper-based applications paid for via credit card. This fee will be taken at the time you lodge your

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Immigration Minister to fight illegal work practices, but encourage productive migrants

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison made one of his first public speeches as Minister at the Migration Institute of Australia Conference in October 2013.  This gave an interesting insight into the new liberal government’s priorities in the immigration portfolio. The overwhelming message was that whilst productive migrants were welcome, individuals and employers who do the wrong

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Does Your Recruitment Strategy Protect You From Penalties?

Employing people without the correct visa status in Australia is a serious problem and prevalent in political discourse.  The Employer Sanctions Legislation has made it clear that businesses and individuals who are found to have illegal workers will receive serious penalties. So what happens if you use a recruitment company for your hiring processes? What

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How Do I know if my Employees have Citizenship or Permanent Residence in Australia?

These are the types of identification that are acceptable to prove citizenship or permanent residence in Australia: Australian passport New Zealand passport Australian citizenship certificate plus photo ID Australian birth certificate plus photo ID Certificate of resident status plus photo ID Certificate of Status for New Zealand Citizens in Australia (CSNZCA) plus photo ID We

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Possible Changes to Immigration under a Liberal Government

Now that Australia is led by a Coalition Government, we can assume that some changes may come into action regarding Australian Immigration. Our previous Labor Government had quite a stern stance against the Employer Sponsored Program of Visas compared to those of the Coalition, so we can hope for more favourable treatment in the future.

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Hiring Temporary Visa Holders in Australia – How to Avoid the Pitfalls

As of 30 June 2013, there were approximately 1.67 million “temporary entrants” in Australia. This includes temporary visa holders such as 457 visas, student visas, working holiday visas, and also holders of bridging visas. Whilst figures are not published on them, we also estimate that there are approximately 138,000 holders of provisional visas in Australia –

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Helpful Tips for Sponsors of Temporary Employees

Sponsoring employees to work for you in Australia can be a complex responsibility to take on.  There are many obligations that need to be met for the duration of sponsorship that some employers are not aware of. It’s important to uphold your sponsorship obligations while employing overseas workers; otherwise you could face fines or even

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Visa Conditions Employers Should Know About

Visa Conditions are a set of rules that can apply to a number of visa subclasses in Australia.  Individuals must comply with their conditions for the duration of their visa or face consequences, such as cancellation of their visa and having to leave the country. It is also important for employers to ensure their temporary

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