A new report from the Migrant Justice Institute (MJI), called Off the Books, has found that many migrant workers in Australia are being paid far less than they are legally owed. The findings come from a large survey of nearly 10,000 people who worked in Australia on temporary visas, including international students, backpackers and skilled workers. The report found that two out of every three migrant workers were paid less than what they were entitled to under Australian law, and more than a third were paid below the legal minimum wage. International students alone are thought to be short-changed by around $61 million every week, adding up to more than $3 billion a year. A big part of the problem is job insecurity. Nearly three-quarters of migrants surveyed were working as casual employees or as independent contractors (on an ABN), rather than in stable, permanent jobs. Many of these workers were likely misclassified, meaning they were actually employees but were being treated as contractors so they could be paid less and denied basic rights like minimum wage and leave. The report also found that underpayment rarely happens on its own. Workers who were underpaid were also far more likely to be paid in cash, given no payslip or a misleading one, denied superannuation, or have money wrongly taken out of their pay. This suggests many employers are deliberately using a combination of tactics to hide how little they’re actually paying their workers. International students face an extra challenge: because their visa only allows them to work 48 hours per fortnight, many said this pushed them into taking cash-in-hand jobs just to cover rent and living costs, leaving them more vulnerable to exploitation. On a more positive note, workers who were union members were much less likely to be underpaid or stuck in insecure jobs though only a small number of migrants surveyed (7%) were actually union members. To fix these problems, the report makes 16 recommendations to the government, including: The report’s authors say that while the government has made some positive changes in recent years, much more needs to be done to stop dishonest employers from taking advantage of migrant workers. Click here: Migrant Justice Institute

A NSW South Coast aged care provider has been sanctioned by the Australian Border Force (ABF) and ordered to repay nearly $120,000 to sponsored employees, after an investigation found it had unlawfully recovered sponsorship-related costs from migrant workers. Acting on a Border Watch report, ABF’s Sponsor Monitoring Unit found the company had sponsored 19 workers under the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa, with 13 affected by breaches totalling $118,197 including two workers who personally paid $17,449 and $19,847 toward nomination and visa costs, in breach of Australia’s migration laws. The company acknowledged the breaches in April and repaid all affected workers in full. It is now subject to a six-month bar from making new sponsor nomination applications. ABF Acting Commander Tim Thorley said the case demonstrates the ABF’s commitment to enforcing sponsor obligations, warning that employers avoiding their responsibilities “should expect to be detected, investigated, and held accountable.” Click here: Australian Border Force

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is reminding all Australians that they may complete their Census as soon as they receive their instructions, without needing to wait until Census night itself. Census night takes place on Tuesday, 11 August 2026. Over one million Census forms have already been submitted. Most households have now received a letter outlining how to complete the Census online or request a paper form. Individuals who have not yet received instructions, or who wish to complete the Census separately from their household, are encouraged to visit the Census website to obtain a Census number or request a paper form. Those who will not be at their usual residence on Census night should also use the Census website to indicate whether their home will be vacant and where residents will be staying instead. For more information, click here

The Albanese and Cook Labor Governments have announced $32 million in joint funding for a Clean Energy Skills Hub at North Metropolitan TAFE’s Midland campus, with $20 million allocated to establish it. The Hub will operate on a hub-and-spoke model, networking with up to four regional locations across WA, and will deliver training in solar, wind, battery storage and related clean energy technologies. It forms part of the $70.5 million Clean Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence (CESNCE), a joint initiative supporting regional TAFE colleges and improving access to training for regional and Aboriginal communities. Refurbishments at the Midland campus are set to begin later in 2026, with expanded electrical and instrumentation training from 2027. Ministers noted WA is projected to need 22,000 clean energy workers by 2035, with the investment building on Midland TAFE’s existing training strengths. Click here: Western Australia Government Website

Migration Tasmania is hosting an online webinar outlining the key changes to the Tasmanian Skilled Migration Program for the 2026-27 year. The webinar is being held ahead of the program’s official reopening to new Registrations of Interest (ROIs) on 17 August 2026, giving prospective applicants and stakeholders an opportunity to understand this year’s revised selection criteria before the program launches. Topics to be covered: The session will take place on 13 August 2026, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM AEST. No pre-registration is required. To join, click here

LEGENDcom has released its latest policy stack updates for both the migration and citizenship portfolios, effective from 7 August 2026. Migration stack updates – Policy and Procedural Instructions: Policy – Migration regulations – Schedules​ ​Policy – Migration regulations – Divisions Policy – Migration Act Policy – Refugee and Humanitarian Citizenship Updates Citizenship Policies and Procedures​​​​

The Cairns Chamber of Commerce is hosting a free online information session on the Far North Queensland Designated Area Migration Agreement (FNQ DAMA), tailored specifically for migration agents and immigration lawyers. The session will be led by Cairns Chamber of Commerce Migration Manager Geoff Heath and will cover: The FNQ DAMA is a skilled migration program tailored to the workforce needs of Far North Queensland, offering a broader range of occupations based on local demand, along with various concessions that provide greater flexibility and certainty for employers and employees. For more than six years, it has helped local businesses access overseas workers to address critical skill shortages that cannot be filled from the Australian labour market. The session will take place on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM AEST, hosted online via Microsoft Teams, with the link provided upon registration. Attendance is free. To register click here

Migration Tasmania has confirmed its 2026-27 nomination allocation, with a total of 2,050 places issued, comprising 1,250 places for subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated) and 800 places for subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional). The program will reopen to new Registrations of Interest (ROIs) in the coming weeks, with further details to follow. Applicants with pending nomination applications will continue to be assessed under the rules in place at the time of lodgement. Applicants with a pending subclass 491 nomination application will not be considered for subclass 190 nomination. Those wishing to pursue subclass 190 nomination instead must withdraw their current application and register a new ROI once the 2026-27 program opens. Any new invitation for subclass 190 nomination will depend on demand and the number of pro-rata places available at the time Click here: Migration Tasmania

The ATO, Fair Work Ombudsman and Australian Border Force have launched Operation Flint, a joint investigation into labour hire providers in Griffith’s horticulture sector. This week, the three regulators visited over 15 farms, mostly citrus growers, as part of the Shadow Economy Taskforce. The operation targets unlawful practices including wage and super underpayment, tax non-compliance, inaccurate pay slips, and breaches of the Migration Act, including migrant worker exploitation. Employers were selected using risk profiling, data analytics and community intelligence. Investigations are ongoing. Officials noted the Riverina has previously been flagged as a compliance hotspot, with the FWO finding 83% of labour hire employers investigated in the region had breached workplace laws. Regulators reaffirmed zero tolerance for exploitation, stressing that outsourcing labour doesn’t mean outsourcing responsibility, and that visa-holding workers retain full workplace rights and protections if they report breaches. For more information click here

The Australian Government is considering offers of temporary humanitarian stay for Iranian nationals currently in Australia who cannot return home due to the Middle East conflict. This visa cannot be applied directly, it is offered by invitation only. To be considered, applicants must meet all of the following criteria: Registering interest does not guarantee an offer will be made, and all standard health, character and security requirements must still be met. To register interest click here.