Italiano
È un'offerta che sembra abbastanza limpida.
Annunci come questo sono stati condivisi sui social media, promettendo ai migranti speranzosi che una società chiamata My Ambition Consulting avrebbe potuto aiutarli a rimanere in Australia.
Per Nisha, emigrata in Australia dal Nepal sei anni fa, si trattava di una proposta allettante.
La 27enne ha lavorato nel settore dell'assistenza agli anziani mentre studiava con un visto studenti, ma il suo sogno finale è diventare infermiera.
Condivide il visto con il marito, Eshwar, e insieme hanno deciso di incontrare il direttore generale di My Ambition, Abhinaya Bhandari, nel gennaio 2024.
"He promised us that he was going to arrange a sponsor employer for us. And he asked us to pay $11,000 for the process."
Nisha ha detto che per risparmiare quella somma ci sono voluti anni.
"We have to pay everything here like college fees, rent, every bill, groceries and everything. And we can hardly save that money. Even when we first pay him that money, I said it's our savings and we really worked hard for this... But he said, don't worry, I'm like your brother, you have to trust us."
Alla coppia era stato promesso che avrebbero ricevuto presto una chiamata da un datore di lavoro, ma la chiamata non è mai arrivata.
Dopo otto settimane, la coppia ha chiamato Abhinaya Bhandari e ha chiesto un rimborso.
Bhandari ha accettato di restituire 10.500 dollari e ha inviato alla coppia uno screenshot di un bonifico bancario, ma il denaro non è mai apparso sul loro conto.
Quando Nisha ed Eshwar hanno chiesto perché non avessero ancora ricevuto il denaro, Bhandari ha detto loro che aveva annullato il rimborso perché non rispettava i termini dell'accordo che avevano firmato e ha proposto un incontro.
Nisha ed Eshwar hanno accettato con riluttanza di incontrarsi, ma l'amministratore delegato di My Ambition non ha partecipato e da allora ha smesso di rispondere alla coppia.
Cercando di trovare un modo per contattarlo, si sono imbattuti in una pagina Facebook piena di commenti di persone che sostengono di essere state truffate da My Ambition Consulting.
"After three months we saw a page, the scammer's page, and everything was shown in the detail about that company and we were scared and we just realised that we were just trapped into a scam and it has happened to many people."
L'amministratore delegato della società, Abhinaya Bhandari, non ha risposto a SBS.
Anche le domande inviate tramite il suo avvocato sono state ignorate.
A luglio, la coppia ha deciso di rivolgersi al Tribunale civile e amministrativo del NSW, che ha stabilito che Bhandari deve restituire tutti gli 11.000 dollari sulla base del contratto di servizi non completato.
Ma la coppia sostiene di non aver ancora ricevuto un centesimo.
"We came to a stage to take the pills. But thankfully we haven't took, but still we are depressed. We are sleepless until now."
SBS News è a conoscenza di oltre 70 persone che sostengono che l'azienda debba restituirgli i soldi.
L'ente di tutela dei consumatori del NSW ha confermato che sta indagando sulla società per aver presumibilmente accettato pagamenti e non aver fornito i servizi in modo completo o in tempi ragionevoli.
Tala, il cui nome è stato cambiato per motivi di privacy, ha contrattato My Ambition Consulting per metterla in contatto con un datore di lavoro che avrebbe sponsorizzato non solo lei, ma anche il marito e i due figli.
Sei anni fa è emigrata dalle Filippine a Melbourne, lasciando la figlia maggiore.
"I haven't seen my daughter since Covid time because we're not allowed to fly out. We are allowed to fly outside, but we can't come back. So my only option is to wait. So that's why we're looking for a visa process option, so that at least she can come and stay with us. So when we signed up with this in 2022, we are so excited about it and we were so happy because finally we'll be together."
Ma dopo aver aspettato quasi un anno e aver pagato 32.000 dollari, Tala ha scoperto che la candidatura a datore di lavoro presentata da My Ambition Consulting era stata rifiutata dal Dipartimento dell'Immigrazione.
Quando ha chiesto ulteriori informazioni, il Dipartimento ha detto che la domanda conteneva errori fondamentali, tra cui l'assenza di un contratto di lavoro.
Nell'agosto 2023, Bhandari ha inviato a Tala una lettera, di cui SBS News ha preso visione, in cui prometteva di rimborsarle 32.000 dollari entro 30 giorni - ma il rimborso non è mai stato ricevuto.
Compresi i pagamenti al Dipartimento dell'Immigrazione e a un avvocato, che Tala ha assunto per recuperare i fondi da My Ambition, ha speso più di 50.000 dollari.
Per Tala la cosa peggiore è il modo in cui questo ha influito sul rapporto con il marito e la famiglia.
Ha detto di non riuscire a dire la verità a sua madre o a sua figlia.
"She's actually not aware of what is happening. She kept on asking me when am I going to go there? What is happening? Are you still going to get me?"
My Ambition Consulting sostiene di avere agenti di immigrazione registrati che lavorano internamente per consigliare i propri clienti.
Simon Sen Tao era uno di loro.
"In early 2023, Mr Bhandari approached me to see if I could be the in-house migration agent of his entity."
Tao si è detto d'accordo, affermando di aver collaborato con successo con altre aziende in passato.
Tao ha raccontato che quando ha iniziato, l'azienda stava lottando contro il rifiuto di molte richieste di visto e gli è stato chiesto di aiutare a formare altri agenti per migliorare i risultati.
Alla fine del 2023 ha ricevuto una telefonata scioccante da parte di un avvocato che agiva per conto di un cliente che voleva intraprendere un'azione legale contro l'azienda.
In seguito ha scoperto che la sua foto era stata condivisa nel gruppo Facebook dei richiedenti, etichettandolo come truffatore.
"It created excessive headaches and stress. I had to explain to my business associates, my current clients, and even my family members who saw my picture online. I had to explain to them what's going on."
Tao ha affermato di aver immediatamente interrotto il rapporto con My Ambition Consulting e di aver denunciato la società alla Migration Agents Registration Authority ((MARA)).
"It's changed my professional mindset and the way I practise my profession. I became so cautious and mindful that my name and MARA number may be misused again. Therefore, I'm so reluctant to be engaged by any other migration agencies."
L'avvocato specializzato in immigrazione Christopher Levingston esercita la professione da 35 anni e ha affermato che le esperienze di Tala, Nisha e Eshwar non sono isolate.
Ha dichiarato che la complessità del sistema legale australiano è stata a lungo sfruttata da persone come i faccendieri che prendono di mira gli immigrati.
"It's fraud. That's what it really boils down to. It's just pure and simple fraud. But the Commonwealth doesn't really spend much time trying to identify those bad actors, as it were."
In una dichiarazione rilasciata a SBS, un portavoce del Dipartimento degli Interni ha affermato che “l'Ufficio dell'Autorità di Registrazione degli Agenti Migratori è impegnato a salvaguardare l'integrità della professione di consulente in materia di immigrazione, prendendo provvedimenti contro gli agenti di immigrazione registrati la cui condotta mina gli standard previsti per il settore”.
Il consiglio ufficiale è di verificare sempre se chi offre consulenza in materia di immigrazione è un agente registrato.
Tuttavia, anche questo non garantisce l'affidabilità e Helen Duncan, CEO del Migration Institute of Australia, ha affermato che le indagini del MARA possono essere lente.
Secondo la Duncan, i segnali di allarme a cui prestare attenzione includono tariffe eccessive e promesse di assistenza per questioni diverse dall'immigrazione.
"As soon as someone says, if you give me a certain amount of money, I will find you a job, then alarm bells should really start ringing because that's not the work of a migration agent for one thing. And also it's not something in recruitment that should happen."
È una lezione che Nisha ed Eshwar dicono di aver imparato a proprie spese.
Ora avvertono gli altri di non prendere decisioni affrettate che coinvolgano gli agenti di immigrazione.
"Whoever says that they're going to find a sponsor for you, they're scammers I say. If you can find a sponsor by yourself, that's a good thing. If some consultancy or some MARA agent says that they're going to find a sponsor for you, they're just trying to steal your money."
Inglese
It's an offer that seems fairly straightforward.
Advertisements like this were shared across social media, promising hopeful migrants a company called My Ambition Consulting could help them stay in Australia.
For Nisha, who migrated to Australia from Nepal six years ago, it was an attractive proposition.
The 27-year-old has been working in the aged care sector while studying on a student visa, but her ultimate dream is to become a nurse.
She shares her visa with her husband, Eshwar, and together the couple decided to meet with My Ambition's managing director, Abhinaya Bhandari, in January 2024.
"He promised us that he was going to arrange a sponsor employer for us. And he asked us to pay $11,000 for the process."
Nisha says that amount of money had taken years to save.
"We have to pay everything here like college fees, rent, every bill, groceries and everything. And we can hardly save that money. Even when we first pay him that money, I said it's our savings and we really worked hard for this... But he said, don't worry, I'm like your brother, you have to trust us."
The couple were promised they would soon receive a call from an employer, but the call never came.
After eight weeks, the couple confronted Abhinaya Bhandari and requested a refund.
He agreed to pay back $10,500 and sent the couple a screenshot of a bank transfer– but the money never appeared in their account.
When Nisha and Eshwar questioned why they still hadn’t received the money days later, Mr Bhandari advised them he had cancelled the refund as it didn't meet the terms of the agreement they had signed and suggested a meeting instead.
Nisha and Eshwar reluctantly agreed to meet but My Ambition's managing director didn't attend and he has since stopped responding to the couple altogether.
Trying to find a way to contact him, they came across a Facebook page filled with comments from people claiming to have been scammed by My Ambition Consulting.
"After three months we saw a page, the scammer's page, and everything was shown in the detail about that company and we were scared and we just realised that we were just trapped into a scam and it has happened to many people."
The company's managing director, Abhinaya Bhandari, did not respond to SBS.
Questions sent via his lawyer were also declined.
In July, the couple decided to take the matter to the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which ruled Mr Bhandari must pay back the full $11,000 on the basis of the uncompleted contract for services.
But the couple say they still haven't received a cent.
"We came to a stage to take the pills. But thankfully we haven't took, but still we are depressed. We are sleepless until now."
SBS News is aware of more than 70 people who claim the company owes them their money back.
The New South Wales consumer protection regulator has confirmed it is investigating the company for allegedly accepting payment and failing to supply services at all or in a reasonable time.
Tala, whose name has been changed for privacy, contracted My Ambition Consulting to connect her with an employer who would sponsor not only her, but also her husband and two children.
Six years ago she migrated from the Philippines to Melbourne, leaving behind her eldest daughter.
"I haven't seen my daughter since Covid time because we're not allowed to fly out. We are allowed to fly outside, but we can't come back. So my only option is to wait. So that's why we're looking for a visa process option, so that at least she can come and stay with us. So when we signed up with this in 2022, we are so excited about it and we were so happy because finally we'll be together."
But after waiting almost a year, and paying $32,000, Tala found out the employer nomination submitted by My Ambition Consulting had been refused by the Department of Immigration.
When she inquired further, the Department said the application contained significant errors including the absence of an employment contract.
In August 2023, Mr Bhandari sent Tala a letter, which SBS News has seen, promising to refund her $32,000 within 30 days - but the refund was never received.
Including payments to the Department of Immigration and to a lawyer, who Tala engaged to help recoup funds from My Ambition, she's spent more than $50,000.
Tala says the worst part is the way it's affected her relationship with her husband and family.
She says she can't bring herself to tell her mother, or daughter, the truth.
"She's actually not aware of what is happening. She kept on asking me when am I going to go there? What is happening? Are you still going to get me?"
My Ambition Consulting claims to have registered migration agents working in-house to advise its clients.
Simon Sen Tao was one of them.
"In early 2023, Mr Bhandari approached me to see if I could be the in-house migration agent of his entity."
He agreed, saying he had successfully partnered with other companies in the past.
Mr Tao says when he started, the company was struggling with many of its visa applications being rejected, and he was asked to help train other agents to improve outcomes.
He says he was shocked to receive a call in late 2023 from a lawyer acting on behalf of a client who was pursuing legal action against the company.
He later found his picture had been shared among the Facebook group of claimants labelling him as a scammer.
"It created excessive headaches and stress. I had to explain to my business associates, my current clients, and even my family members who saw my picture online. I had to explain to them what's going on."
Mr Tao says he immediately ended his relationship with My Ambition Consulting and reported the company to the Migration Agents Registration Authority ((MARA)).
"It's changed my professional mindset and the way I practise my profession. I became so cautious and mindful that my name and MARA number may be misused again. Therefore, I'm so reluctant to be engaged by any other migration agencies."
Immigration lawyer Christopher Levingston has been practising for 35 years and he says Tala, Nisha and Eshwar's experiences are not isolated.
He says the complexity of Australia's legal system has long been taken advantage of by people such as fixers targeting migrants.
"It's fraud. That's what it really boils down to. It's just pure and simple fraud. But the Commonwealth doesn't really spend much time trying to identify those bad actors, as it were."
In a statement to SBS, a spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs said, "the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority is committed to safeguarding the integrity of the migration advice profession by taking action against registered migration agents whose conduct undermines the standards expected of the industry."
Official advice is to always check whether someone offering migration advice is a registered agent.
However, even that doesn't guarantee reliability and Helen Duncan, the C-E-O of the Migration Institute of Australia, says investigations by MARA can be slow.
She says warning signs to watch out for include excessive fees and promises to assist with things beyond immigration.
"As soon as someone says, if you give me a certain amount of money, I will find you a job, then alarm bells should really start ringing because that's not the work of a migration agent for one thing. And also it's not something in recruitment that should happen."
It's a lesson Nisha and Eshwar say they've learnt the hard way.
They're now warning others to avoid rushing into any decisions that involve migration agents.
"Whoever says that they're going to find a sponsor for you, they're scammers I say. If you can find a sponsor by yourself, that's a good thing. If some consultancy or some MARA agent says that they're going to find a sponsor for you, they're just trying to steal your money."
