ABSTRACT
Trafficking is a more complicated concept, in that it requires consideration not only of the manner in which a migrant entered the country but also their working conditions, and whether the migrant consented to the irregular entry and/or these working conditions. Smuggling and trafficking raise the issues of transnational and/or organised crime. It is frequently difficult to establish whether there were elements of deception and/or coercion, and whether these were sufficient to elevate the situation from one of voluntary undocumented migration, to trafficking. Immigration officials are also reporting high levels of presentation at airports of fraudulent, stolen or altered travel documents. Types of fraudulent documents presented to immigration officials include bogus supporting documents, counterfeit stamps, forged visas, photo-substituted passports, stolen blank passports and transposed visas. People smuggling raises the issue of official corruption. In 1997, an Australian Immigration officer was arrested and charged, following an investigation into the improper use of citizenship certificates.
