What Migrant Justice Institute does

Migrant Justice Institute (MJI) is an Australian nonprofit research and policy organization founded in 2021 and headquartered at UNSW Faculty of Law & Justice in Sydney, dedicated to addressing the systemic exploitation of temporary migrant workers in Australia. MJI operates as the country's only national empirical research body focused on migrant worker exploitation, conducting large-scale surveys on temporary visa holders (sample sizes of 6,105 in 2020 and 9,963 in 2024) and producing flagship reports such as 'Off the Books: Inside Australia's Hidden System of Migrant Worker Exploitation' (May 2026), 'All Work, No Pay' (2024), and 'Breaking the Silence' (2023).

MJI's core products are empirical research reports, policy advocacy campaigns, and educational resources for migrant workers, delivered through publications, an interactive digital report platform, video explainers, and a "Know Your Rights" portal. Underlying methods include Qualtrics-based survey distribution through a network of 30+ universities, TAFEs, and private colleges, with new analytic capacity being built out through a 2025 Data Analyst hire. Its go-to-market is community-led, combining direct government advisory, coalition-building with unions and civil society organizations, and earned media coverage in outlets including The Age, ABC, Reuters, BBC, and the New York Times.

MJI's business model is grant-funded nonprofit: revenue derives from institutional grants and donations, notably the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department (National Action Plan to Combat Modern Slavery 2020-2025), Minderoo Foundation's Walk Free Initiative, and Open Society Foundations for a multi-year global program with Solidarity Center, ILAW Network, and MIDEQ. All research, advocacy outputs, and migrant-facing resources are provided free of charge to governments, unions, civil society, and migrant workers, with no fee-for-service or commercial revenue stream disclosed.

Name

Migrant Justice Institute

Legal name

Migrant Justice Institute

Website

https://migrantjustice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Migrant Justice Institute is Australia's only national nonprofit research and policy organization dedicated to migrant worker exploitation, conducting large-scale empirical surveys and policy advocacy to drive visa and wage recovery reforms for temporary visa holders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labour Rights Policy Research

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (926150)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Student Advising & Compliance (SEVIS/UKVI/IRCC) (EDALANAA)

Keywords

• Migrant worker research
• Labour exploitation studies
• Policy advocacy services
• Migration rights research
• Wage theft investigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Grants and Funding: Migrant Justice Institute operates as a nonprofit research and policy organization funded through grants from foundations, government grants (Commonwealth Attorney General's Department National Action Plan to Combat Modern Slavery), and financial contributions from partners such as Minderoo Foundation's Walk Free initiative.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Migrant Justice Institute is Australia's only national research and policy organisation dedicated to addressing migrant worker exploitation. It conducts large-scale empirical surveys of international students and temporary visa holders, produces evidence-based research reports and policy blueprints on wage theft and exploitation, and advocates directly with federal and state governments for legislative and regulatory reforms such as the Workplace Justice visa and visa cancellation protections.

Product overview

Migrant Justice Institute is Australia's only national research and policy organization dedicated to addressing migrant worker exploitation. MJI operates as a research and advocacy organization rather than a traditional software product company. Its portfolio consists of empirical research services including the biennial National Temporary Migrant Work Survey, flagship research reports (such as 'Off the Books'), policy advocacy programs (visa protections campaign, wage claim reform blueprint), and educational resources (video explainers, workplace rights information, referrals portal). These offerings work together to document exploitation, develop evidence-based policy reforms, advocate for systemic change, and empower migrant workers with knowledge of their rights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Off the Books: Inside Australia's Hidden System of Migrant Worker Exploitation MJI's flagship national research report presenting the first national evidence of an interlocking system of migrant exploitation, drawing on surveys of 10,000 workers and revealing systemic underpayment, sham contracting, and wage theft patterns across Australian industries.
• National Temporary Migrant Work Survey MJI's recurring empirical survey program documenting wage theft, working conditions, and barriers to justice among international students, backpackers, and other temporary migrants in Australia. Includes 2016, 2020, 2024, and 2025 PALM scheme surveys.
• Visa Protections Policy Advocacy MJI-led coalition advocacy service advancing migration reforms enabling migrant workers to pursue labour remedies without risking visa cancellation. Includes the world-first Workplace Justice visa and protections against visa cancellation for exploited workers.
• Wage Claim System Reform Blueprint (All Work, No Pay) Research and policy guide recommending reforms to Australia's court processes to ensure migrants can enforce their rights and obtain remedies, including new Fair Work Commission dispute resolution processes and government guarantee schemes.
• Access to Justice for Wage Theft Global Program Multi-year global program (2021-2024) researching and promoting initiatives to improve migrant workers' access to justice for wage theft worldwide, in partnership with Solidarity Center, ILAW Network, and MIDEQ.
• Video Explainers on Workplace Rights
• Know Your Rights Resources
• Industry-Specific Research and Business Guide

Quantifiable outcome

• Australian government adopted MJI's model for visa protections enabling migrant workers to address exploitation (Workplace Justice Visa and protections from visa cancellation)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Solidarity CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Global multi-year program of work to improve migrant workers' access to justice for wage theft, in partnership with Solidarity Center, ILAW Network, and MIDEQ, with support from Open Society Foundations. Joint webinars and research collaboration on visa protections and wage recovery mechanisms.
• ILAW NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner in global program to improve migrant workers' access to justice for wage theft. Collaborative research and online events to support a global community of practice.
• MIDEQcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner in global multi-year program on migrant workers' access to justice for wage theft, focusing on migration between low and middle-income countries.
• Human Rights Law CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed national coalition with MJI proposing immigration reform measures to help bring migrant workers out of shadows and hold exploitative employers accountable.
• Migrant Workers CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in survey distribution and promotion, particularly running paid campaigns targeting under-represented cohorts such as sponsored workers.
• UTS Faculty of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founders Laurie Berg and Bassina Farbenblum are law professors at UTS and UNSW respectively. MJI maintains close connections and offices at both law faculties.
• UNSW Faculty of Law & JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for MJI offices. Co-founder Bassina Farbenblum is Associate Professor at UNSW. MJI is a proud supporter of MJI.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Migration Policy Institute: Established international think tank producing research and analysis on migration policy; comparable research-and-advocacy function but operating at significantly larger scale and broader thematic scope than MJI.

Direct peers

• Centre for Policy Development: Independent Australian think tank producing research and policy recommendations on social and economic reform; comparable operating model of policy research, advocacy, and government engagement with adjacent issue focus.
• Refugee Council of Australia: Australia's national umbrella body for refugees and people seeking asylum; similar evidence-based advocacy, policy submissions, and government engagement model serving migrant communities in Australia.
• Solidarity Center: Global labor rights organization and MJI's partner on the Access to Justice for Wage Theft program; directly comparable focus on migrant worker rights, wage recovery, and labor law reform in multiple jurisdictions.
• Human Rights Law Centre: Australian legal advocacy organization that co-led MJI's national coalition on visa reform proposals; comparable legal-and-policy advocacy model targeting systemic change for migrant and worker rights.
• Anti-Slavery Australia: Australian research, policy, and legal centre dedicated to combating trafficking, slavery, and exploitation — closely aligned with MJI on evidence-based research and policy reform for vulnerable migrant workers.
• Walk Free Foundation (Minderoo Foundation): Global research and advocacy initiative focused on modern slavery and migrant worker exploitation; major MJI funder and partner with comparable research-driven, evidence-to-policy operating model and overlapping Australian/global focus.
• MIDEQ: UK-funded global migration research partnership focused on migration between low- and middle-income countries; partnered with MJI on multi-year wage theft and access-to-justice research with shared research-and-advocacy methodology.

Others

• Open Society Foundations: Major philanthropic foundation and MJI's primary global-program funder; not a peer organization but a critical ecosystem participant whose strategic priorities materially shape MJI's global work and sustainability.
• International Labour Organization: UN agency that sets international labour standards and was directly influenced by MJI's research on migrant worker exploitation; not a competitor but a key institutional counterpart and indirect funder/adopter of MJI outputs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/migrant-justice-institute

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Migrant Justice Institute