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Snap crackdown hits businesses taking advantage of visa workers
Regulators are checking more than 60 Perth businesses that employ visa workers, with a state agency joining the national program for the first time.
- Snap inspections began in Perth on Tuesday, targeting employers of subclass 482 visa holders, including many who hire chefs, the Fair Work Ombudsman said.
- Inspectors are checking pay slips and wage records for underpayments, unlawful deductions and staff in roles that do not match their visa conditions.
- The regulator secured $39 million in penalties in cases including visa workers in the eight financial years to June 2025.
Regulators have launched a snap crackdown on Perth employers of visa workers, targeting more than 60 businesses, most of them fast food outlets, restaurants and cafés.
The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO), the Department of Home Affairsâ Australian Border Force (ABF) and Western Australiaâs Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety (LGIRS) began the inspections on Tuesday in and around the Perth CBD.
Wholesale and retail bakeries, hair and beauty businesses and hotels were also inspected. Each business visited employs visa workers, a group which regulators consider at risk of exploitation.
The state regulator also joined the national inspection program for the first time, and the agencies are pooling intelligence to extend their reach, according to an FWO statement on Thursday.
âTeaming up with our fellow regulators, including sharing intelligence, can help us find and hold to account any businesses that are doing the wrong thing when it comes to employing migrant workers,â Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth said in the statement.
âSuch breaches can be especially serious as these vulnerable workers may be unaware of their workplace rights or unwilling to speak up if something seems wrong,â Booth said.
The investigations are ongoing, with no findings released so far.
What are inspectors looking for?
Inspectors zeroed in on employers of subclass 482 visa holders, temporary workers with in-demand skills, and many of those employers hire chefs, a top occupation for visa workers.
Fair Work Inspectors have been reviewing pay slips and time and wage records, while ABF officers assessed businesses for signs of underpayments, unlawful deductions, and staff in roles that do not match their visa conditions.
Australian Border Force officers joined Fair Work inspectors in a crackdown on Perth businesses, checking for visa breaches and the potential exploitation of migrant workers. Photo: AAP
âWe are sending a clear message that Australia will not tolerate the exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers or abuse of the visa system,â ABF Acting Commander Chris Andino said.
Employers who break the rules âmay face significant penalties, including infringement notices, civil action or being declared a prohibited employer,â he said.
LGIRS inspectors focused on businesses outside the national system with a poor compliance record or in industries prone to underpayment, testing whether they met state rules on minimum pay and records.
What protections do visa workers have?
âWe want visa holders to know they have the same workplace rights as all other workers, and protections for their visas exist if they call out workplace exploitation,â Booth said.
Two Home Affairs pilots, the Strengthening Reporting Protections Pilot and the Workplace Justice Visa Pilot, tackle migration-related obstacles that can stop migrants on temporary visas from speaking up about exploitation.
The Perth inspections follow similar joint FWO and ABF audits, including about 40 businesses in South-East Queensland in June, and the FWO secured $39 million in penalties in cases including visa workers in the eight financial years to June 2025.