Avoid Unregistered Agent - Migration Law | The Migration Place

Many people seeking to migrate to Australia are not using registered migration agents and as a result are falling victim to migration scams. These scams can come in many forms such as promising jobs in Australia that don’t exist, promising to get someone a visa they are not eligible for and requesting funds for a visa to be granted.

Recently, a Melbourne man and his company advertised a nine-month pathway to permanent residency, duping almost a hundred people out of a total of $800 000. The offender, Radovan Laski and his company Clinica International, operated a scheme for clients with a Certificate II in Cleaning, claiming that they could secure a job in rural Australia, subsequently qualifying them for permanent residency.

Rather than ending up in a skilled working environment, as promised, the workers found themselves in regional abattoirs. Some of the applicants had paid up to $40 000, including some who entered into loan agreements in order to pay the fees with interest rates of up to 50%. When complaints were filed with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (‘DIBP’), Mr Laski allegedly sent threatening emails to workers claiming, “I will be down on you like a ton of bricks.” The company now faces a fine of up to 1 million dollars.

Another scammer known as Abel Prasad has allegedly scammed one customer out of $41 000 for a fake Work Visa. The victim was left with an expired Student Visa and $10 in her pocket, and the threat of being deported.

In another scam, foreigners have been approached by a ‘representative’ of the DIBP who claims that there has been an inconsistency on their visa application and that a fine must be paid over the phone.  However, the actual DIBP does not take payments over the phone. Victims of this crime can be left penniless with little options but to return to their home country.

The chief executive officer of the Consumer Action Law Centre, Gerard Brody, claims that he has written to federal and state government agencies to warn them of lax policing and regulation which has created a breeding group for scammers to thrive.

Don’t risk being scammed out of your hard earned money and your chance to live in Australia. Please contact our experienced migration agents and lawyers at The Migration Place to discuss you visa options on +61 7 3229 4025.