It is a common requirement for many classes of Australian visas that the applicant demonstrate a satisfactory level of proficiency in the English language. This is particularly true in the case of applications involving the skilled migration program.  Indeed, it stands to reason that there would be an expectation that persons seeking to take up skilled employment in Australia would have sufficient English language skills to function effectively in the workplace, and that the substantive requirements of the migration legislation would reflect and embody this expectation.

The evidence that is most usually relied on by visa applicants to demonstrate that they have the required level of ability in English is the “IELTS” (International English Language Testing System) test.

This test is widely administered both in Australia and overseas. The test assesses the English language skills of visa applicants against four “bands”, listening, reading, writing and speaking.  Applicants who undertake the IELTS test are provided with a “test report form” which can be submitted to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection as evidence of their ability in English. 

The Fair Work Ombudsman has kicked off a National Compliance Monitoring Campaign and will target about 1200 businesses found to have underpaid their workers over the past three years.

Employers who have previously short-changed their staff $500 or more will be audited this year to ensure they have not ignored advice and assistance given to them by Fair Work inspectors in response to their past contraventions, according to a statement from the ombudsman Natalie James.

“We obviously frown on those who refuse to fix problems or continually flout their workplace obligations so they have a competitive advantage over others doing the right thing,” said Ms James.

Maximum penalties for contraventions of workplace laws are $51,000 per breach for a company and $10,200 for an individual. Business sponsors of foreign workers also face the risk of losing their sponsorship rights.

Ms James says the campaign aims to assess the level of behavioural change among employers to assist the Agency understand the drivers of non-compliance and to help inform future pro-active compliance and education activities.

Recently, cleaning contractors came under the spotlight after spot checks resulted in wage recoupments of almost $763,000 for some 1200 workers who were mainly overseas born or on student visas. Latest data indicates there are almost 25,000 businesses operating in the cleaning services industry in Australia employing almost 100,000 workers.

There is a lot of scuttlebutt around at the moment concerning Training Benchmarks A and B.

Consider this offering from a private organisation in our industry who happens to be in the training benchmark B “market" (ie they only sell benchmark B):

"The Department of immigration has informed ‘stakeholders of a change to policy guidance relating to industry training funds. No commission can be paid from Training benchmark A contributions and Training Benchmark A contributions cannot be made to TAFEs and Universities if there is a statutory Industry Training Fund operative.”

With some analysts predicting that the Australian dollar is heading toward the 50/60 cent levels against the US Dollar, Australia is once again priming up as the world’s favourite destination. "U.S. travelers would choose to visit Australia over almost every other country on Earth,” according to TripAdvisor. The Huffingtonpost recently updated a story it carried some years ago, to once again highlight the reason why people choose Australia, with notable attractions/activities actually missing the list.

• In Australia, it's incredibly normal to take a gap year. Taking 12 months off between school and going to university has become almost a rite of passage for the estimated 200,000 school leavers each year.
• Australians have swimming pools in their oceans.
• People in Australia really know coffee. Starbucks tried to invade the scene a few years ago, but Aussies didn’t break from their traditional coffee haunts Starbucks was forced to close 61 of its 87 Australian stores and eventually sell out off its remaining operations.
• Two words: Gold. Coast.
• Precious, just-born, infant turtles crawl into the Australian sea from January until March. And there are turtle guides who will help you find and say hi to them.
• The minimum wage in Australia is $16.88. SIXTEEN DOLLARS AND EIGHTY-EIGHT CENTS! In America, minimum wage ranges by state from $5.15 (Georgia) to $9.19 (Washington). The ugly truth is that sometimes, workers have to sue their employers to get their fair share.
• A bunch of lakes in Australia are pink, thanks to algae and prawns.
• You can apply for a travel visa to Australia online. No consulates, no lines, no heartache.
• Australians don't sacrifice sustainability for tourism. Lord Howe Island, the most beautiful island of coral reefs, is only allowed to host 400 tourists at any given time, no matter how many want to come.
• There are more kangaroos than humans in Australia, which makes life more adorable. To deal with all those marsupials, experts have concocted kangaroo birth control and a national Kangaroo Management Plan. Another population control -- sniffle, tear, sniffle -- is the kangaroo burger.
  Australians make a vacation out of helping the planet-- on a conservation holiday, you can measure plants in the rainforest or monitor owl species at the base of the Australian Alps
• Everybody in Australia has accents.
• When life gets rough (from eating too much Vegemite or winning too much rugby), Australians can always escape to the perfect blue heaven known as Lake McKenzie.
• In Australia, there are creatures called fairy penguins. After they get home from long days at sea, you can visit their colonies by night.
• The Great Ocean Road, the Aussies' seaside version of Route 66, takes you past some pretty stellar rock formations.
• Australians have the widest steel arch bridge in the world. You may have heard of it.

According to University of Sydney Business School's Dr Stephen Clibborn, the "biggest problem facing immigration authorities" is the increasing number of undocumented immigrant workers in Australia. There are few signs that anything is being done about it despite the systematic exploitation of these workers by employers, according to a report in the Daily Examiner.

UNDOCUMENTED immigrant workers need the same protections as Australian workers, if Australia is to avoid an American-style problem of mass exploitation of illegal workers, says Dr Stephen Clibborn in a submission to the Abbott government’s Productivity Commission review of workplace relations.

Dr Clibborn's submission has warned that Australia faces "the real risk of passing the tipping point that the United States passed many years ago where exploitation of a large undocumented immigrant workforce becomes the norm in some sectors".

He said while there were no hard figures on the extent of the problem, estimates had tipped at least 100,000 undocumented workers in 2011, which he believes has likely risen, due to an extra 62,700 visa over-stayers recorded in July 2013.

Dr Clibborn said a 2011 review of the system described it as the "biggest problem facing immigration authorities", and the lack of protections for workers, and fear of being exposed, was fertile grounds for exploitation.

He also said the Fair Work laws needed better enforcement.