The Home Affairs department’s migration fraud division has received 2,796 visa scam-related allegations in the past five years, SBS News can reveal.
But immigration experts say it's likely many more are going under the radar.
The figure was obtained from the department under Freedom of Information laws and although it was not broken down by year, shows the number of alleged scams from 1 July 2014 to September of this year.
Senior immigration lawyer Sanmati Verma from Victoria-based firm Clothier Anderson, says the lack of meaningful protections for visa holders and applicants who have been affected by fraudulent migration advice means there is a lack of incentive to report.
