On 14 December 2015, new criminal and civil penalties and visa cancellation provisions were introduced as part of a ‘paying for visa sponsorship ‘framework that allows for sanctions to be imposed on a person who asks for, receives, offers or provides a benefit in return for visa sponsorship or employment (that requires visa sponsorship).
‘Paying for visa sponsorship’ conduct is considered unacceptable by the Australian Government as it undermines the integrity of the skilled work programmes, which are designed to address genuine skill shortages in the Australian labour market by making employees available from outside Australia.