AT LEAST a dozen Irish nationals have been deported from Australia in the past two weeks in an investigation into immigration fraud.
Authorities there say some of those arrested had acquired second-year working holiday visas (WHV) for Australia by using fake details.
Those deported were detained in Sydney and Brisbane airports on returning from Christmas trips home to Ireland. Some were held overnight in the Villawood detention centre in western Sydney before being put on a plane. Others were put on the next available flight without being detained.
In November, an Irishman was fined 1,400 Australian dollars (€890) and expelled from Australia after being convicted of immigration fraud. The crackdown since Christmas is the result of an investigation into other Irish backpackers suspected of similar frauds.
A spokesman for Australia’s minister for immigration, Chris Evans, said such fraud is “a serious offence that will not be tolerated”.
“Temporary visa holders who acquire a visa fraudulently are liable for cancellation of their visa and removal from Australia and can also face criminal charges with jail terms of up to 10 years and/or a fine of up to $110,000,” he said. “The department of immigration and citizenship has strengthened integrity measures to detect and deter fraud within the working holiday visa programme. The . . . programme will be closely scrutinised by the department on an ongoing basis to ensure applicants are acting in accordance with immigration law.”
To get a second WHV, backpackers must work for three months in agricultural or regional work during their first visa year in Australia. Typically this would involve fruit picking or working on a building site in a rural area.
A scam used by some backpackers involved paying up to $500 for the business details of a farmer who had previously hired backpackers. The visa applicant then claimed they had worked on that farm too on the understanding that only one in 10 applications was closely scrutinised.
The fraud became so widespread last year that Irish people were openly discussing it online. One poster to an Irish website wrote: “You can submit these [business details] with false dates etc and hope for the best that no one follows them up and checks. I’ve run into a few people now that have their second visa and never picked an apple or melon.”
In the year to June 30th last, 4,425 Irish citizens obtained second-year WHVs. Only Koreans were granted the visa extension more often.