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Lives in Limbo: The Experiences of Migrant Workers Navigating Australia’s Unsettling Migration System

SSRN Electronic Journal
2021
  • 1
    Citations
  • 544
    Usage
  • 4
    Captures
  • 0
    Mentions
  • 0
    Social Media
Metric Options:   Counts1 Year3 Year

Metrics Details

  • Citations
    1
    • Citation Indexes
      1
  • Usage
    544
    • Abstract Views
      421
    • Downloads
      123
  • Captures
    4
  • Ratings
    • Download Rank
      460,678

Article Description

The growth of temporary migration programs since the 1990s has turned Australia into a guest worker state. To understand migrant workers’ experience with Australia’s migration system, the Migrant Workers Centre conducted an online survey and in-depth interviews. 13.5% of the survey participants managed to acquire permanent residency after arrival with a temporary visa. It took them 5.1 years on average. Employer sponsorship is one of the most popular pathways to permanent residency, but migrant workers on a temporary employer-sponsored visa record the highest level of stress because they can acquire permanent residency only when their employer decides to sponsor them for the transition. The research shows that a majority of migrant workers experience wage theft while working with a temporary visa and that one is more likely to fall victim to wage theft when coming to the country on a visa with no pathway to permanent residency. 64.8% of the survey participants experienced wage theft while working on a temporary visa. Survey results show a positive correlation between migrant workers’ original entry visa types and their experience of exploitation. 90.9% of migrant workers who experienced wage theft in Australia had first arrived on a temporary visa that had no pathway to permanent residency. The migration system needs to be fixed to better protect migrant workers from wage theft and labour exploitation.

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