NT company fined $175,000 over 457 visa breach

A Northern Territory company has been fined after caught paying its 457 workers as little as $12 an hour.

(File: AAP)

Darwin-based company Choong Enterprises Pty Ltd was fined more than $175,000 for breaching sponsorship obligations under the subclass 457 visa program, the Department of Immigration reported on Thursday.

The Federal Court found that the company had paid 457 visa holders as little as $12 an hour, as well as illegally recovering the costs of migration agent fees from four visa holders.

Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Michaelia Cash said the company, its director Ronald Choong and one other person had been fined “the largest civil penalty any court has imposed for a breach of sponsor obligations”.

Senator Cash said the heavy fine should serve as a warning to other companies.

“If you breach your obligations, you can expect to face the consequences,” she said.

The court’s decision comes almost eight months after the former Immigration Minister Scott Morrison initially proposed changes to the 457 visa scheme.