Having been directly involved with the immigration law profession in Sydney for over 17 years, I have witnessed a harsh reality up close: when people are captivated by the sweet words of a fraudster, they perceive the truth-teller as an enemy.
While sitting in Sydney, I often receive calls or messages from both known and unknown persons from the country. Some relatives are coming to Australia on an apple or orange orchard picking visa, while others are lured by the promise of assured permanent residency in exchange for a significant amount of money.
When I scrutinise the documents and say, ‘This is sheer fraud; don’t give any money, ’ most people don’t want to believe it. Instead, they argue, ‘The visa is showing online!’ Some even say, ‘Since I am spending so much money, let’s see what happens!’ However, the inevitable happens; when the person loses all life savings and property and gets stranded at the airport or on foreign soil, another call comes. But by then, there’s nothing left to do.
Australia's immigration system is one of the most stringent and regulated frameworks worldwide. You cannot buy an Australian visa with money. The sole authority to grant visas lies with the Immigration Department of the country’s Ministry of Home Affairs. No individual, employer, agent, or even lawyer can guarantee a visa. If someone gives a ‘guarantee,’ understand that it's a scam. Unlike the Middle East, there’s no system of sponsorship or visa trade in Australia. Only if suitable local workers aren’t found can an Australian employer apply to recruit or sponsor a worker from abroad. This is a highly costly and lengthy process; very few people from Bangladesh can come through this route.
Australia’s immigration monitoring authority, OMARA, has recently intensified their surveillance manifold. Since 2021-22, disciplinary actions have been taken against more than 61 registered immigration consultants.
In Australia itself, licenses of several immigration consultants have been canceled for allegedly hiring unregistered fake brokers with their licenses. While such a clampdown on fraud is underway in Australia itself, the story of ‘assured visa’ spun for millions of taka while sitting in Bangladesh is so hollow and deceitful that one doesn’t need to be an expert to understand.
Recognising the fraudsters’ techniques and traps:
It is essential to recognise fraudsters' common tactics right from the start. The official website address of the Australian government ends with .gov. au. Fraudsters create fake websites with similar names ending in .com or .net and show false ‘visa verification’ setups there. They replicate letterheads and logos of reputed companies to create fake job offer letters. Calls made from internet numbers are used to convince you that they are coming directly from Australia. Their biggest bait is ‘Visa first, money later.
Fraud rings usually choose categories like Australia’s ‘Working Holiday’ (Subclass 417) or ‘e-Visitor’ (Subclass 651) visas, where Bangladesh isn’t even on the approved country list. Fraudsters quickly generate digital visas by inserting the name of an approved country in online application fields.
Then, using clever data amendments, they insert the applicant’s Bangladeshi passport number. Hence, even though the government’s primary verification system shows the visa as approved, traveling directly with that visa becomes impossible. Sometimes, they resort to ‘Maritime Crew’ (Subclass 988) visas. Victims are then initially sent to countries like Nepal, the Maldives, Fiji, or Indonesia, where Bangladeshis typically don’t need a visa. Remember, a proposal to detour via another country instead of buying a direct ticket from Dhaka to Australia is a significant sign of danger.
Warning from expat relatives also ignored:
Botany resident Tabarak Khan from Sydney shared his experience for a news report, saying, ‘My nephew fell into an agency’s trap. Although the visa showed up on government verification, I was certain it was fake just by seeing the type. I told him several times, there’s no shortcut. But he was so blinded by the fraudsters’ words that he didn’t listen to us. At the last moment, the entire fraud was exposed when he was buying a ticket to Nepal.’
Prominent businessman Harun Ur Rashid of Leppington, Sydney, also shared a similar experience. A ring made a deal of about Tk 1. 6 million with one of his relatives, luring him for permanent residency in three years on an agricultural visa. Harun Rashid said, ‘My relative didn’t even have the minimum English or professional qualification for a simple work visa. I had warned them in advance, but they didn’t listen. Later, when they tried to match the application and approval numbers, clear fraud was detected. ’
Many other expatriate Bangladeshis in Sydney have shared similar experiences. Enticed by flashy advertisements, people forget the fundamental rules and disregard realistic advice from relatives.
Practical lessons for protection from fraud:
1. A visa is impossible without language and professional assessment: For almost every work visa, a specified score in international English language tests (e. g. , IELTS) and a qualification certificate from an authorised organization are mandatory. Claims like ‘no English needed, no experience required’ mean definite fraud.
2. Consultations only with registered lawyers: According to Australian law, an immigration consultant must be registered with OMARA to provide visa consultation. Anyone can verify the name or licence number of any registered immigration consultant for free by visiting the official website (mara. gov. au).
3. Technology and verification: All Australian immigration work is conducted on the government’s only official portal (homeaffairs.gov.au). Thanks to today’s artificial intelligence and translation technology, anyone can easily convert and read English website information in Bengali. If necessary, it’s possible to speak with a government number or verify authenticity from the embassy.
4. Stop advance monetary transactions: Refrain from sending money to personal bank or mobile accounts and avoid health checkups outside the clinics designated by the Australian High Commission in Dhaka.
Dreaming of a bright future in Australia is not a crime, but due to lack of awareness and blind fascination, that dream shouldn’t turn into a disastrous nightmare. Legal qualifications and systematic pathways are the only keys to immigration. Many families can be saved from destitution by listening to warnings from relatives and experts in time.
#Kawsar Khan is Prothom Alo's Sydney correspondent and immigration lawyer.
*The opinions expressed here are the author’s own.