A 52-year-old man is facing almost two dozen fraud charges relating to an alleged $800,000 migrant visa scam conducted over a three-year period. The man was initially arrested in Sydney two days ago following a raid on a Harris Park address where electronic devices and documents were seized, Queensland Police said. The raid was conducted as part of Operation Romeo Avid, which was launched in 2017 after police received multiple complaints. The complaints related to two Queensland-based migration services, Global Skills and Business Services, and Specialised Resources Pty Ltd, allegedly defrauding customers between April 2015 and November 2017.

Police allege the man was the director of the two companies that targeted migrant visa holders in Queensland, offering to find them sponsored jobs as a pathway to permanent residency. He is accused of charging each person between $25,000 and $45,000 for services he did not deliver. Police say 23 people have made complaints, and the total of the alleged fraud is $799,000.