Former federal Labor MP Craig Thomson has been charged over his alleged involvement in a multi-million-dollar migration fraud.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers arrested Mr Thomson, 57, at his Terrigal home on the NSW Central Coast on Wednesday morning.
It's alleged he was the "primary facilitator" of the scheme.
Mr Thomson was charged with 30 fraud-related offences, including 20 counts of providing false documents or misleading information relating to non-citizens.
He was refused bail and is due to appear in Gosford Local Court on Wednesday.
If convicted, he faces a maximum 10 years behind bars.
It's alleged the former member for Dobell facilitated more than 130 fraudulent visa applications over four years, mainly involving foreign workers in the food services and regional farm work industries.
It's alleged Mr Thomson gained more than $2 million from the scheme.
Police claim the scheme was designed to defraud legitimate visa programs.
The charges were triggered by an Australian Border Force (ABF) investigation into allegations of significant visa and migration fraud, dating back to August 2019.
A total of nine search warrants were executed, including at premises in the Sydney suburbs of Revesby and Rockdale.
ABF Assistant Commissioner Erin Dale said authorities were determined to clamp down on so-called "cash for visa" schemes.
"This investigation demonstrates the unwavering resolve of the ABF and AFP in preventing the exploitation of foreign workers in Australia," she said.
"Cash for visa schemes as they are often known target vulnerable visa holders who may not be aware of Australian laws and workplace entitlements."
The former union official was elected as the federal member for the seat of Dobell on the NSW Central Coast in the 2007 election.
In 2012 he was suspended by the Labor Party and moved to the crossbench.
The following year, he stood as an independent candidate but lost the seat to the Liberals.
He was formally expelled from the NSW Labor Party in 2014.
