I have. The way they carpet bomb city corners and sell only low margin lollies with labour manning the place until all hours. Here’s your answer, Fairfax:
Franchisees at the troubled 7-Eleven chain are charging staff up to $70,000 to help secure Australian work visas for their staff as a sideline revenue stream to help plump up low income from their stores.
Fairfax Media has uncovered evidence that some franchisees are running as one-stop recruitment shops providing a steady stream of heavily indentured students and other workers into 7-Eleven stores.
Foreign students as well as workers on 457 visas are understood to be part of the “visa factory” scam operated by some 7-Eleven franchisees. The model has franchisees charging workers $25,000 to $70,000 to sponsor them on a visa.
Under the scam, some student visa-holders are even enrolled in courses at colleges linked to 7-Eleven franchisees.