The victim, a Sri Lankan national employed as an office manager, was repeatedly pressured to make payments while trying to build her future in New Zealand and progress her residence application.

The successful organisations represent more than 46 ethnic communities and 15 faith groups, with more than $1.6 million allocated to groups supporting new and emerging communities as well as regional Victoria.

Jaspreet Singh was sentenced in the Auckland District Court to five months’ home detention and ordered to pay $10,000 in emotional harm reparation after being found guilty on four counts of indecent assault following a retrial.

The case involved what officials described as a wage “banking” arrangement, where workers were required to work unpaid hours to offset previous paid time, along with failures to keep accurate employment records and correctly calculate leave entitlements.

“Australia continues to welcome genuine international students seeking a premium Australian education which is great for our unis, domestic students and research.”

Fiji's ministry had been working closely with Australian authorities and employers to address cases of concern, with more than 200 workers successfully re-engaged after assessments of their circumstances.

Hanson criticised universities for what she described as an overreliance on international student revenue, claiming Australian students were being disadvantaged in classrooms.

In 2021, Buttar convinced his wife, Ramandeep Kaur, who had completed a master's degree in Environmental Science from an Australian university, to return to Punjab and help build the family business rather than settle in Australia.

Each visa category has very specific and strict requirements.

"(The increse) It raises important questions about accessibility and affordability for genuine applicants"