Abstract
ABSTRACTMigrant workers are frequently viewed as passive recipients of immigration controls. Bringing together three strands of the migration literature, namely the structuralist, agency and temporal perspectives, we analyse how migrant workers in the Australian gig economy navigate immigration controls and labour market barriers, thereby advancing debates on gig work and migration. We examine migrant workers' (non)compliance with working rights restrictions and their adherence to, or disregard for, local rules and regulations. Drawing upon 38 interviews with 30 migrants working via ‘emerging’ food‐delivery platforms, which use ‘platform facades’—an original concept this article develops—rather than comprehensive algorithmic architectures, we find these workers use these platforms' relative lax compliance regimes, independent contractor engagement‐model and work practices to circumvent migration restrictions, with co‐ethnic networks playing a facilitative role. The findings highlight the importance of temporal orientations and migration intentions for understanding migrant gig workers' (non)compliance behaviours.
Published Version
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