Suffer in silence, or risk speaking up? Exploited migrant workers in Australia face perverse dilemma

Migrants say they can lose their visas if they report an employer – and a government bill that is meant to protect them won’t help

Michael* has called Australia home for nearly a decade. He has a partner and a child here, friends and a community, a career he wants to pursue. But he has consistently faced a perverse choice: tolerate exploitation for job security, or risk losing his protections and right to stay.

“My first employer used to bully me, all the time. I was forced to work long hours for no overtime, sometimes more than 60 hours without any more pay,” he tells Guardian Australia. “At first I accepted to work like that, because I cannot do anything: I am relying on the visa.”

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This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.