27 Jun Visa holders now under more scrutiny by Australian Taxation

Visa holders now under more scrutiny by Australian Taxation

In a bid to ensure that all Australian visa holders who are employed in the country are paying their taxes right, the Australian Taxation Office will now dig the records of over 20 million immigrants. These details include personal and financial details and will be audited over the next three years.

The ATO may involve migration agents in the process as they help migrants move to Australia. Information gathering will also include the address history of visa applicants and their sponsors; all their arrivals and departures in Australia and details of their education provider if they are on a student visa.

Collection of TFNs under 457 programme

The Department will start collecting Tax File Numbers (TFNs) of businesses who sponsor employer on 457 visas.

This is being done to track and catch fraudulent sponsoring employers, who do not meet their requirements as sponsors. This implementation was set to happen before 31 December 2017 but will now occur between February and March 2018. The Department believes that this step will reduce employee abuse under the 457 visa programme.