Backpackers being deported from Australia for submitting false work details in visa applications say they resorted to the scheme because there was not enough farm work to meet visa conditions. Working holiday visa holders must complete 88 days of specified work in regional areas to extend their stay beyond 12 months.
An operator known as “Golden Fish” offered to provide fake employment information for $1,000 per application. The email address has been shared by word of mouth for years, according to one backpacker who used the service. After contact, backpackers fill out a 29-point questionnaire and transfer the fee once the visa is approved.
Guardian Australia is aware of almost 20 backpackers set to be deported for using the fake documentation. One Irish backpacker appealing his deportation said the practice was common. Cameron, who did not use his real name, said he managed only 50 days of farm work over more than four months in Ayr, Queensland, despite needing 88. He later received a deportation notice.
Brisbane lawyer Ellison McMullen, who has worked with eight clients caught in the scheme, said all tried to find farm work but could not due to state border closures and seasonal job shortages. “Every one of them made attempts but they were doing it at a time where state borders were closed,” she said. None of the appeals have been successful so far.
