Australia’s current visa subclasses are complicated and hard to understand. This
will make it harder for a person who speaks English as a second language to apply
for the right visa. This increases sex workers’ vulnerability to trafficking.
Australia’s visas are quite complex in language and difficult to truly understand. The Government has
information on the websitei, but most them are in English and difficult to understand. The information
is suitable for people who have academic backgrounds. There are many migration agents, brokers,
contractors and other third parties who will give advice for a fee, both in Australia and in other
countries for those who want to travel to Australia. Many people are afraid to ask in depth or
sometime don’t know what to ask. For example if a person wants to travel to Australia to do sex work
they may not be explicit when they discuss this with the third party they are paying for advice. This
means they do not receive the right advice and may be more vulnerable to exploitation from third
parties when seeking a visa to do sex work in Australia. Simplifying the visa process can contribute to
the prevention of such vulnerabilities.
