Sydney, Jul 30 (IANS): Australian authorities are investigating a case involving two Indian restaurants, the owner of which allegedly accepted large payments to prepare fake documents for migrant workers seeking permanent residency.

Arun Bose, owner of the Tribeni and Kashi restaurants and director of an Indian company, Saai Bose Pty Ltd, asked staff to pay between $1,300 and $12,000 for help in gaining permanent residency, former chef Nandalcumaran Krishnakanth has claimed.

In return for the money, Bose would fill out fake skills certificates showing that the staff had completed the 900 hours of work experience needed to apply for permanent residency, the Fair Work Australia, a workplace relations tribunal, was told.

Krishnakanth said Bose also asked for money to provide glowing work references to assist in the application process.

"Bose would say, 'Pay me $1,300 and I'll give you the certificate that you worked as a chef and performed certain duties'," Krishnakanth was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

The certificate would be provided whether the person worked for the restaurant or not, he said.

The tribunal was also shown an extract of Bose's time and wages record in which four months of records appeared to have been filled out at the same time.

Peter Sams, the tribunal's deputy president, said the entries were "most suspicious" and appeared to have been back-dated.

Bose denied the allegations, saying nothing was falsified and all legal requirements were met with during his time as director.

He sold the company last year and it is now in liquidation.

Fair Work Australia has referred the matter to the Department of Immigration, which is investigating the case.

A migration agent, Maher Itani, said trying to cheat the system was common until the laws were tightened recently.

"People just find a restaurant, give them a few bucks and get a certificate," Itani, who owns the migration agency Access Australia, said.