Sixty-five per cent of temporary visa holders in Australia have experienced underpayment, while one in four say they have been exploited in the workplace, a survey finds.

The Melbourne-based centre said despite Australia relying on overseas workers from unskilled backpackers to highly trained doctors and IT workers, the visa system often left workers with a high level of uncertainty, stress and open to exploitation.

It also noted a central issue migrants faced was gaining permanent residency, which often took about five years but could blow out to more than a decade.

Indian migrant worker Paramjit has been in Australia for 13 years, and doesn't want her surname to be used for fear of recriminations against her in the visa application process.

She's worked in Victoria and Tasmania as a hairdresser and is now an aged care worker in regional NSW.

Despite paying between $50,000 to $60,000 to the Immigration Department and her work record, she's been unable to secure permanent residency.

She has been forced to move interstate twice to comply with visas requirements, which have frequently changed.

"I had a lot of bad experiences with employers and migration agents while applying for three student visas, two sponsorship visas, and three state visas," she said.

Paramjit is still waiting for an outcome on her application for an 887 visa, a skilled visa for those who've worked in a regional area of need as part of a pathway to permanent residency.

She says she and her husband will persevere with trying to get permanent status in Australia because her son, who was born in 2012, will be eligible for citizenship next year.

"I am depressed with this visa system and policies," she said