The Labour Minister urged Thais to be wary of illegal brokers who try to recruit them to work on farms in Australia. He emphasizes that Thailand and Australia are currently in talks over the employment issue.
Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin has disclosed that the Ministry of Labour and Australian authorities are working on drafting a Memorandum of Understanding between both governments to allow Thai citizens to participate in the Australian Agriculture Visa program. He stated that discussions are still ongoing to lower some of the criteria set by Australian officials and that other details are still being worked out.
Currently, there are reports of scammers claiming that they can provide Agriculture Visas to victims if they pay in advance. These scammers will show photographs of a meeting between the director of the Department of Employment (DOE) and the deputy director of the Australian Department of Agriculture to back up their allegations. The DOE has emphasized that no such visas have been issued to anyone and urges the public not to believe people who claim that they can assist in obtaining these visas.
The Labour Minister said the DOE will make the official announcement once negotiations have concluded. Officials have specified five methods for legitimately traveling to Australia for employment as follows:
– Employment through the Department of Employment
– Employment through a legal recruitment agency
– Thai employers bringing their employees to work abroad
– Foreign employers situated in Thailand bring their employees to train abroad
– The individual informed the department that they will be traveling on their own
Any recruitment by private agencies must also be approved by the DOE, and the recruitment will be posted on the department’s website, www.doe.go.th.
