The Australian High Commission in New Delhi on Monday warned the public of a new visa scam allegedly perpetrated by an employment agency operating in South-West Delhi.
In recent weeks more than 50 people have approached the High Commission after paying lakhs for a work visa, only to be informed that they have become a victim of yet another visa scam, a statement released by the High Commission said.
“Australia does not have a work visa program of the sort being promoted by the scammers—our Temporary Skills Shortage work visa is run only with approved sponsors, and only for applicants with specific skills in demand in Australia,” a spokesperson from the Australian High Commission said.
“Some of the recent victims have said they paid up to 50,000 INR just for a non-existent airfare and a medical check with an unauthorised clinic, in addition to all the other fees they have been charged.”
“We have seen clones of our website before but the newest versions link to a fake visa checking site that only contains the visa details concocted by the agent. This may look convincing to someone who is wanting proof the agent is not duping them – but actually, it is still all fake,” the spokesperson said.
Earlier this year, Australia abolished its popular employer-sponsored 457 visa programme, replacing it with new stringent programme that requires higher English-language proficiency and job skills. The 457 visa programme, used by over 95,000 foreign workers, majority of them Indians, was replaced onMarch 18 by a new Temporary Skills Shortage visa programme.
