Can I work in Australia on a tourist visa from India? Why the agent’s shortcut ends at the airport

Tips · 2026-10-30 · 10 min read

An Indian man studies his phone doubtfully at a desk in Pune at dusk, with papers and a closed passport beside him.

No. You cannot work in Australia on a tourist visa from India. Home Affairs says plainly that you can't work in Australia on an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or a Visitor visa, and the Australian High Commission in New Delhi warns that agents who claim you can enter Australia for work on a visitor or transit visa are describing something illegal that leads to refused entry. If an agent's plan starts with "go as a tourist and we will fix the job there", the plan ends at the airport.

This guide is for Indian professionals and tradespeople who have been offered that shortcut, or are wondering whether it is worth the risk. It explains why the visitor, transit and "convert later" routes fail, and which lawful routes do lead to paid work in Australia.

Why the tourist-visa job offer keeps coming back

The pitch is attractive because a visitor visa looks easier than a work visa. There is no employer to find, no skills assessment and no sponsorship paperwork. The agent says the job is "already arranged", you only need a ticket and a tourist file, and the "work papers" will follow once you land.

The High Commission has heard this story often enough to name it. On its scam-safety page it says scammers often claim you can enter Australia for work on a visitor or transit visa. That is the most important sentence for anyone holding such an offer.

The offer usually arrives through the same channels. The High Commission lists contact through social media or WhatsApp, a promised visa or a promised job on arrival, large upfront payments, requests for your passport, being told to lie, and claims of registration without a MARN or OMARA listing as signs of a scam. A tourist-visa job offer tends to tick most of them.

What a visitor, transit or ETA visa really allows

Australia's visitor-type visas are for visiting. Home Affairs states that you can't work in Australia on an ETA or a Visitor visa, and the High Commission adds transit visas to the same warning. No agent or fee changes that.

The High Commission says there is only one official Australian Government provider of visas: the Department of Home Affairs. ImmiAccount is the only official website for applying, and a visa grant that cannot be found in VEVO is probably fake. So a "work endorsement" stamped on a tourist file by an agent, or a PDF that VEVO does not recognise, is not a visa at all.

Australia also doesn't issue "work permits", visa labels or Labour Market Impact Assessments. Anyone selling one of those documents is running a scam, whatever the letterhead looks like. Home Affairs sets these points out on its visa scams page.

What the agent says	The official position	Where it ends
"Go on a tourist visa, the job is waiting"	You can't work in Australia on an ETA or Visitor visa	Refused entry or a breach of visa conditions
"A transit visa gets you in, then we switch it"	Entering for work on a visitor or transit visa is illegal, says the High Commission	Refused entry
"We will get you an Australian work permit"	Australia does not issue work permits or visa labels	Money lost on a document that does not exist
"Pay us now and we will fast-track your visa"	Only Home Affairs decides visas; a fast-track fee is a scam sign	Money lost, and possible refusal
"Here is your grant letter" (not in VEVO)	A grant you cannot find in VEVO is probably fake	A fake visa and a wasted flight

What it can cost you: refusal, cancellation and a ban

The money paid to the agent is only the first loss. Home Affairs says people who engage in visa fraud through a scam agent risk visa refusal or cancellation and being banned from Australia for up to 10 years.

For a professional planning a long career, that ban is the real price. An IT engineer from Pune or a chef from Delhi who later finds a genuine sponsoring employer may face that history when a lawful application is assessed.

Being told what to say at the airport, or being handed a story to use for another visa after arrival, is the "telling you to lie" sign on the High Commission's list. If an agent coaches you to give officials a false purpose of travel, treat it as a scam and stop paying.

The quiet clue in your own paperwork: the PCC

Indian applicants have an easy check that most agents hope you never notice. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) says a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) is issued to Indian passport holders who have applied for residential status, employment, a long-term visa or immigration, and cannot be issued to people going abroad on a tourist visa.

If your "job in Australia" needs no PCC, no employer details you can verify and no application you lodge yourself in ImmiAccount, the paperwork is telling you this is not a work visa. You can read MEA's rules on the MEA Police Clearance Certificate page.

Who is allowed to help with an Australian visa

The High Commission tells applicants to use only official sources: the Australian High Commission in India, the Department of Home Affairs, and registered migration agents listed on the OMARA website. Each registered migration agent has a Migration Agents Registration Number (MARN), and someone claiming to be an agent without a MARN or OMARA listing is not legitimate.

Indian law adds its own layer. Under Section 10 of the Emigration Act, 1983, no person or agency may work as a Recruiting Agent without a valid certificate from the registering authority, and an MEA advisory dated 14 December 2023 says no recruiting agent may collect service charges of more than Rs. 30,000 plus 18% GST, with a receipt. Our guide to what the ₹30,000 recruiting agent cap covers explains how to check an agent on eMigrate.

The scale of the problem is real. MEA says that as on 9 April 2026, 3,505 illegal agents had been notified through the eMigrate portal, and it received 1,541 complaints of illegal migration and human trafficking in 2025.

Lawful routes that actually lead to work

For most Indian professionals and tradespeople, the main lawful route is an employer who sponsors you.

The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) lets an employer sponsor a suitably skilled worker for a position it cannot fill with a suitably skilled Australian. You usually need at least 1 year of relevant work experience in the last 5 years, and some occupations need a skills assessment started before you lodge. Our planning guide to the Skills in Demand (482) visa walks through it, and it is illegal to pay an employer to sponsor you.

Two India-specific routes exist for some readers. The MATES stream of the subclass 403 visa lets eligible Indian graduates and early career professionals work in Australia for up to 2 years, after a ballot; see which Indian graduates qualify for MATES. The Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa also uses a ballot with an AUD25 registration fee, and Home Affairs shows an annual cap of 1,000 grants for India. No agent can sell you a selection in either ballot, as our guide to Work and Holiday visa ballot scams in India explains.

If you go the sponsorship route, your application is what gets you shortlisted, not an agent's contacts. A clear, Australian-style CV helps; Build AI CV can help you put one together for the role. You can also browse sponsored openings such as IT and technology jobs in Australia, where the ad states the employer's sponsorship terms.

How to check an Australia job offer in seven steps

Ask which visa subclass the offer is for. If the answer is visitor, tourist, ETA or transit, stop: you can't work on those visas.
Ask who lodges the application. Visa applications go through ImmiAccount, the only official website; an agent who "handles it privately" is a warning sign.
Check any migration agent's MARN on the OMARA register before you share documents or money.
Check any Indian recruiting agent on eMigrate using the "List of active RA" link, and ask to see the original Registration Certificate.
Refuse to send your passport. Scamwatch advises never sending your passport or identity documents unless you are certain the employer or firm is genuine.
Confirm any visa grant in VEVO. A grant you cannot find there is probably fake.
Report the offer. The High Commission says scams can be reported anonymously through Australia's Border Watch Online Report, and in India PBSK takes complaints on its toll-free line, 1800 11 3090.

For the full list of Indian and Australian complaint channels, see our guide on where to report a fake overseas job agent. Applicants in neighbouring countries face the same tricks; JobsAbroad Pakistan's guide to red flags in a fake job interview covers what to listen for on the first call.

Common mistakes Indian applicants make with these offers

Believing the visa type can be "switched" after arrival. The High Commission says entering for work on a visitor or transit visa is illegal and leads to refused entry; there is no agent-arranged switch.
Paying a "fast-track" fee. The High Commission says anyone demanding a large upfront payment to "fast-track" an application is running a scam.
Trusting a document instead of VEVO. Only a grant visible in VEVO counts.
Dealing with a sub-agent. MEA says sub-agents are not permitted under the Emigration Act, 1983, so a friend-of-a-friend "agent" has no standing.
Trusting an email that looks official. Home Affairs emails end in .gov.au; anything else claiming to be the department is a scam.
Agreeing to a scripted story. Being told to lie to officials is a scam sign, and visa fraud can lead to a ban of up to 10 years.

Frequently asked questions

Can I work in Australia on a tourist visa from India?

No. Home Affairs says you can't work in Australia on an Electronic Travel Authority or a Visitor visa. The Australian High Commission in New Delhi adds that claims you can enter for work on a visitor or transit visa are illegal and lead to refused entry.

Can an agent change my visitor visa into a work visa after I land?

No agent can promise that. Only the Department of Home Affairs grants visas, through ImmiAccount, and only the department decides the outcome. An agent who says the "switch" is arranged is describing a scam.

What happens if I use a scam agent's shortcut?

Home Affairs says people who engage in visa fraud through a scam agent risk visa refusal or cancellation and a ban from Australia of up to 10 years.

How do I check whether an Australian visa grant is real?

Check it in VEVO. Home Affairs says a visa grant that cannot be found in VEVO is probably fake, and that emails claiming to be from the department whose address does not end in .gov.au are scams.

Where can I report a tourist-visa job scam from India?

The High Commission says you can report it anonymously through Australia's Border Watch Online Report. In India, MEA's PBSK helpline takes complaints about fake or overcharging agents on toll-free 1800 11 3090.

Key takeaways

You cannot work in Australia on a tourist, visitor, ETA or transit visa.
Only Home Affairs decides who gets a visa, and fast-track fees are a scam sign.
Visa fraud through a scam agent can mean refusal, cancellation and a ban of up to 10 years.
Check agents on the OMARA register and eMigrate, and every grant in VEVO.
Lawful work comes through employer sponsorship or India's ballot-based routes, never a tourist file.

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