Being lawful in Australia
Published by Nora Lamont on Wednesday 30th of September, 2009
Working and living in Australia requires you to hold a visa and remain lawful whilst in the country.
Immigration compliance officers located 15 illegal workers on a construction site in Sydney today.
In 2008-09, the department located almost 11 500 people who had either overstayed their visa or were in breach of their visa conditions, including almost 1000 people who were working illegally.
The main industries where people were found to working illegally were agricultural (29.8 per cent), hospitality (16.1 per cent) and construction (14.7 per cent) sectors.
Employers convicted under Commonwealth legislation face fines of up to $13 200 and two years’ imprisonment while companies face fines of up to $66 000 per illegal worker.
People with information about illegal workers or visa overstayers should call the Immigration Dob-In Line on 1800 009 623.
