New visa reforms introduced by the federal government have been lauded as a step towards improving migrant worker rights in Australia. 

Two pilots have been launched recently – a Workplace Justice Visa and regulations to strengthen protections against visa cancellations for workers who report exploitation. 

The Workplace Justice Visa will allow eligible migrant workers to remain in Australia while they take action against an employer, if their rights have been breached.  

Further, under the new reporting protections, the Department of Home Affairs must consider whether exploitation has occurred when deciding whether to cancel a person’s visa where a breach of visa conditions has occurred. 

Joshua Strutt, CEO and Principal Solicitor at the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre (IARC) welcomed the pilots as being key to fighting the exploitation of migrant workers. 

“The migration system can effectively trap visa holders and give power to employers to exploit workers and let them get away with it. These reforms are a crucial step towards giving that power back to migrant workers,” he said. 

“Together, these pilots, which were co-designed with advocates, will make it easier for migrant workers to speak up about exploitation and harder for employers to do the wrong thing and get away with it,” he said. 

To access the new visa, applicants must follow certain eligibility criteria and have their claim certified by an eligible organisation.  

NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association members seeking redress from exploitation or looking to apply for this visa can access the Association’s free Visa Assist scheme, which is operated alongside IARC.