Date: 22 Jan 2019

Source: The Guardian

Harjinder* kept working, even when her pay didn’t come. She kept working even when her husband was diagnosed with liver cancer.

The couple is now forced to return to India, despite Harjinder being owed, she alleges, more than $60,000 in unpaid wages. She is worried her husband will not be able to access critical drugs and treatment available in Australia. But they have no choice. The price for migrant workers complaining about exploitation, when visa sponsorships are controlled by employers, is a one-way ticket home.

Harjinder found retail work in Queensland with an employer who had agreed to sponsor her for a 187 visa, a migrant program for skilled workers in regional areas.

...