While it’s possible to acquire a visa that’ll let you live and work in Australia by being sponsored by an employer in the country, many people have been scammed or robbed of their money via this same method.

Some criminals residing in Australia as well as in other parts of the world use scam practices to promise their victims work or permanent residency in the country as a way to exploit people and steal their money. Sometimes these criminals can act as immigration lawyers who are willing to help them as a way to steal money from their victims as well. That’s why it is important to be checking scam lawyers by viewing their state bar profile on your home state’s bar association website (you can search for them using a state bar number or first and last name). In addition to that, you should also have a good understanding of your rights as well as your employer’s obligations in order to properly protect yourself against scams.

Don’t know how to tell if your employer is a scam? Not to worry, in this article, you’ll learn ways to make sure that your Australian employer is not a scam.

How to make sure your Australian employer is not a scam

First of all, how do you protect yourself from being scammed? The rudimentary steps you should take include:

• Being aware of your employer’s obligations and your work rights
• Being wary of job offers that require large upfront payments or returning some of your pay
• Reading current scam warnings and understanding the signs

There are several things you should look out for that may indicate that your employer is a scam. Some of the them include:

• The employer advertisements they use often only contain only their first name and last name
• The employer or agent asks you to pay a large upfront amount either for a Visitors visa or an ETA
• You are told you will be given the job if you acquire a Visitors visa or an ETA
• You are required to set up a company and apply for an Australian Business Number (ABN) before you’ll be given the job or allowed to work 
• If you are being promised permanent residency in Australia 
• The agent or employer makes use of the Australian coat of arms on their website in a bid to sway people into believing that what they are offering is approved by the Australian government 
• You are told that you will or can only be paid in cash
• You are told that you will not be requiring an Australian Government Tax File Number (TFN)
• If your agent or employer in Australia doesn’t have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• If you are offered or given a rate that’s below the minimum wage in Australia that all immigrants or foreign workers are entitled to

How can I further protect myself from these scams?

You can protect yourself from work and visa scams by dealing only with the official Australian Government channels such as Australian Visa Application Centres, departmental websites, reputable travel agents, or the Australian High Embassy or Commission in your country.