A Brisbane couple trafficked a domestic servant from Fiji, confiscated her passport, and forced the "frightened" woman to work for them for about $250 a fortnight over a period of eight years, a court has heard.

Key points: The Fijian woman worked for the Pulini family between 2001 and 2006 when they lived in Tonga

The Fijian woman worked for the Pulini family between 2001 and 2006 when they lived in Tonga Between 2008 and 2016, the woman worked as a household servant at their Brisbane house

Between 2008 and 2016, the woman worked as a household servant at their Brisbane house The woman fled the house in 2016, the prosecution says, and the couple was charged in 2017

Isikeli and Malavine Pulini pleaded guilty at the beginning of their District Court trial in Brisbane to harbouring an unlawful citizen, but denied they were guilty of trafficking and forced labour offences.

In his opening address, prosecutor Ben Power said the Fijian woman worked for the Pulini family between 2001 and 2006 when they lived in Tonga.

The court heard the Pulinis then paid for her flights to Brisbane in 2008 for the purpose of working for them at their Ashgrove home, although she only had a tourist visa.

"There was one thing that was missing from their life — a live-in domestic servant, just like they had in Tonga," Mr Power said.

"Between 2008 and 2016, Mr and Mrs Pulini had a secret.

"At times, it was a secret hiding in plain sight and it was that their household servant was an unlawful non-citizen who they had imported from Fiji to work for them for low wages and long hours."

Mr Power told the court the woman was "essentially on call all the time", looking after the couple's children and doing domestic duties.

He said she was paid between $150 to $250 per fortnight, but sometimes less frequently.

The prosecution said the woman's passport was taken off her when she arrived in Brisbane and she was told Mr Pulini was arranging with a friend from immigration for her to stay in Australia longer.

"She didn't get her Fijian passport back from them until 2013 … long after it had expired," Mr Power said.

"They agreed to tell outsiders that they had just kept extending her visa."

Servant scared of going to jail

The prosecution said the woman was "fearful" of talking to the Pulinis about her visa and was scared of going to jail.

"She will say that she was frightened about what would happen if she fled from this position," Mr Power said.

"She had very little money — she became very depressed and scared about how long she had been doing this."

The prosecution said the woman fled the house in 2016 after speaking with a friend, and the Pulinis had not made a report to police.

The couple was charged in 2017.

The prosecution said Mr Pulini told Australian Federal Police officers during an interview that he knew it was illegal for the woman to overstay her visa and when it expired they had not made an application to renew it.

"He said that when [the woman] arrived in Australia he requested that she hand over her Fijian passport to him for safekeeping," Mr Power said.

"He did acknowledge that the amount provided to [the woman] was nowhere near what would be accepted remuneration by Australian standards."

Fewer than 10 witnesses are expected to be called at the couple's trial this week.