Today, Khoa Nguyen serves as a critical care nurse at a prominent hospital in Melbourne.

“We resorted to drinking plenty of water to quell our hunger. We were isolated, devoid of contacts, and unsure of where to turn for assistance,” he recounted.

Despite these challenges, Nguyen successfully funded his own nursing education and launched a career in critical care. However, advocates highlight that many others still face similar vulnerabilities.

“Australia grapples with a widespread issue of workplace exploitation affecting international students and those on temporary visas,” an advocate explained to SBS News.

Forty-three per cent reported being required to complete extra work outside their usual duties without pay.

“So now, making a threat and using someone’s visa status in any way to get them to accept any kind of working conditions is a criminal offence.”

The reality behind the job offer

“I did not know where to seek help, so I just agreed with that,” he says.

“The government has introduced terrific new initiatives like the workplace justice visa, protections against visa cancellations and criminal offences for employers who coerce and exploit workers, but those laws are still not being accessed and enforced as they should be,” she says.

‘I was scared of disappointing my parents’

But after repeatedly being told the money would be paid “in the next two days”, the contractor disappeared, he says.

Khoa Nguyen (second from left) with his family on a recent trip to Vietnam. He juggled multiple jobs to cover the $36,000 annual fees for his postgraduate nursing degree. Source: Supplied / Khoa Nguyen

Feeling defeated, Nguyen considered giving up — but with the help of a friend, he managed to flee the farm and return to Melbourne.

“My parents kept borrowing money from everywhere [to help pay the fees], but it wasn’t enough. I was scared of disappointing my parents because they sacrificed their lives, working tirelessly to get me and my siblings where we are today.”

Lecturers then connected Nguyen with support services, and he was eventually able to access funding for accommodation and food — support he says he never expected as an international student.

Summer holiday exploitation concerns

He advised students to protect themselves.

International Education Association of Australia CEO Phil Honeywood said international students should seek independent advice before signing any work contracts. Credit: IEAA

“Get independent advice before signing any contracts, ideally from education providers, employment or legal services,” he says.

Speaking only three words of English when he arrived, he faced multiple challenges while pursuing his studies.

Khoa Nguyen is married to his childhood sweetheart and has a young daughter, Kayla. He is now paying for his sister’s medical degree in Vietnam. Source: Supplied / Khoa Nguyen

Despite working long hours to fund his education, he recently completed a second master’s degree in advanced nursing and now works full-time at the Victorian Heart Hospital.