Employers are increasingly using Australian Business Numbers to misclassify temporary visa holders and avoid paying legal entitlements, according to a major new study. Researchers found international students alone may be short-changed by around $3.18 billion per year.

Assoc. Prof. Bassina Farbenblum of the Migrant Justice Institute said the study heard from close to 10,000 migrant workers in Australia. The research was commissioned by the Commonwealth attorney-general's department and points to widespread practices replacing traditional cash-in-hand underpayments.

– With ABC News Migrant-targeted fraud reports.