Jerry (not his real name) was looking for a shortcut — he wanted to obtain permanent residency in Australia by Christmas.
So using the Chinese e-commerce app Xiaohongshu, the international student posted a request online in April.
He wrote he was looking for a "primary applicant" to take him along to lodge subclass 189 and 190 skilled migration applications — both of which are permanent visas for skilled migrants.
A reply came back, saying they could act as his agent with a "ready-made" primary applicant with "a very high score".
How 'spouses' for skilled visas are sold on the black market
In Australia’s skilled migration program, a primary applicant applies for permanent residency based on qualifications and work experience.
They may include a spouse or children as secondary applicants. Only one spouse can be included. The applicants are points-tested based on factors such as age, work experience, education, and English proficiency.
SBS Mandarin has uncovered that a secondary applicant place, which should be reserved for family, is being openly sold on the black market through online apps such as Xiaohongshu.
Jerry* used a Chinese e-commerce app to find a migration agent. Credit: SBS Mandarin
Jerry — who requested anonymity for this story — met the agent at their Sydney office in April and signed the contract in May.
Then, he paid a $5,000 deposit, signed a contract and the agent told Jerry they'd found him a "partner".
"They helped us match with a suitable primary applicant," Jerry told SBS Mandarin.
"That primary applicant had to have a very high score, was within state nomination quotas, and the profession had to be on the skilled occupation list."
'She told me how to pose for photos'
The migration agent found Jerry a fake "spouse" in nursing with a migration score of 90 points.
After the match, to prove their spousal relationship, they had to fabricate a series of cohabitation documents.
"We had to start building a de-facto relationship," Jerry said.
"The (agent) required us to go out together for meals, take intimate photos.
"The (agent) would instruct us how to pose.
"I felt something was wrong because my primary applicant was very skilled at taking these photos, as if she had done it with others before.
"She told me exactly where to put my hand, how to pose for the photo."
The migration agent told Jerry to open a joint bank account in which combined spending between him and his partner had to go through.
"So the government would believe we were living together," Jerry explained.
"They even said they would help us produce utility bills, and rent a place together."
Jerry said the application process arranged by the agent was "very efficient". In July, the agent told him he would be granted permanent residency by Christmas.
Excited at the prospect of finalising his dream within months, he went straight to pay the second instalment.
"That joy clouded my judgement," he said.
"I lost my basic ability to think clearly."
'My whole body was trembling'
But earlier this month, a phone message shattered his ambitions. It was the "nurse" — his fake spouse — with a confession to make.
She told Jerry that the migration agent had "tricked" her into meeting and taking staged photos with other secondary applications.
Not only was she not even a nurse in NSW, her points were fabricated.
"When I read this message in the morning, I was shocked awake," Jerry said.
"My whole body was trembling."
Jerry joined a victims' chat group, and discovered that not only had he not been invited, but no application had ever been lodged under his name.
He discovered that the screenshots he was sent from what was purported to be the Department of Home Affairs' official website were fake.
Jerry met someone with the same fake spouse as him and compared the screenshots — they were identical, bar details like the date of birth.
He called the Department of Home Affairs, which confirmed there was in fact, no application lodged in his name.
"From that day, my life just stopped."
An estimated multi-million dollar scam with multiple alleged victims
Later, many victims in the group chat said the joint accounts they had set up with their fake spouse had been shut down by the agents, and all the money inside was taken away.
More than 90 people are part of that victims' group, scammed of an estimated amount exceeding $10 million, according to Jerry.
Some victims confronted the agents, but instead of resolving the issue, they were threatened.
"They told us directly: if you keep making trouble, we will make sure you cannot stay in Australia.
"They said they would report our visas, and even insulted us as 'trash from China's lower class'.
"Some victims said their visas really had been reported by the agents, leaving them without any valid status in Australia, forcing them to return home."
SBS News has contacted the Department of Home Affairs for comment.
Last week, the department issued a notice to the public stating it was cracking down on dodgy migration agents who'd ripped off applicants through unlawful migration advice.
Four scam agents operating in Australia illegally in Victoria and Queensland — who were charging people $1.4 million for protection visas when the applicants were not asylum seekers — were detained and another three are being deported, it said.
"If you'e a visa applicant, scam agents may tell you to provide false or misleading information and false documents when applying for a Protection visa," the department said in a Facebook post.
"But this activity is illegal and could result in you facing large fines and possible jail time for up to 10 years."
Sean Dong, a senior lawyer and migration agent at ProActive Legal, said the department has the power to investigate and cancel visas if fraud is detected.
"If refused, there will be a three-year bar, meaning most visas cannot be granted," he said.
Dong said people should look for only licenced migration lawyers, which can be checked on the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority website.
Jerry said he has now reported the matter to NSW Police, and he'd been granted a case number.
This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Mandarin.
