Australia
Injured Pacific worker facing visa limbo after employer collapse
A Tongan mechanic who came to Australia under a Pacific worker scheme has been left injured, homeless and jobless after his employer collapsed.
A Tongan mechanic who travelled to Australia under a Pacific labour scheme has been left injured, homeless and unemployed following the sudden collapse of his employer.
The worker is now facing severe visa uncertainty, according to reporting by a national wire service. The mechanic, whose identity has not been released, arrived in Australia to work under the bilateral Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, which allows citizens of Pacific island nations to take up employment in regional areas.
While working in Australia, the man sustained a workplace injury that left him unable to perform his duties. His situation deteriorated rapidly when the labour hire company that sponsored his visa collapsed, leaving him without employment or income.
Without the support of his sponsoring employer, the worker has experienced homelessness and has struggled to access stable accommodation. Because the visa program binds workers to specific sponsoring employers, the collapse of the firm has also placed him in a precarious legal situation, leaving him stuck in visa limbo.
It is not yet confirmed how many other Pacific workers may have been affected by the collapse of the same labour hire company, or what emergency support measures are currently available to the injured mechanic. Representatives for the federal departments overseeing the visa scheme have not yet clarified what temporary visa options or support packages are being offered to individuals displaced by corporate insolvencies.
Advocates for temporary migrant workers have previously raised concerns about the vulnerability of employees whose visa status is tied directly to a single employer, particularly when injuries or business collapses occur.
Observers are waiting to see whether federal authorities will intervene to provide emergency visa relief and housing support to the stranded worker.
This report draws on original reporting by Wire report.
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