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New Zealand to deport students on fraudulent visas
In a follow up to last week’s breaking news on fraudulent student visas, NZ immigration has announced five students are awaiting deportation.
In a press release issued Tuesday, New Zealand Immigration announced that five students who had arrived with fraudulent visas issued in Beijing were now in custody and would be deported. Another 31 have been interviewed and are being issued with Deportation Liability Notices by NZ immigration compliance staff.
According to INZ general manager Peter Elms, new information puts the number of students entering on the illegal visas at 246, with 74 visas already expired and their holders at risk of deportation. The remainder, 172 people, are known to be on fraudulently obtained visas and are also liable for deportation if their circumstances warrant it.
The push to identify the visa holders began last Wednesday, with Elms reporting his officers are finding implicated students on a daily basis. He added that two Chinese students were apprehended in Christchurch in a joint police/immigration operation and that eight more were discovered in a Blenheim property and served with notices of deportation.
Elms added that none of the apprehended students could speak English and that it appeared they had been labouring in a vineyard. He said the incident should send a strong message to employers of overseas workers to check their papers to ensure they are working legally.
NZI is investigating whether employers are using student visa holders and are prepared to take legal action if necessary. Officers are also contacting the parents of Chinese students and asking them to encourage their children to contact the authorities if they are overstaying.
In a press release issued Tuesday, New Zealand Immigration announced that five students who had arrived with fraudulent visas issued in Beijing were now in custody and would be deported. Another 31 have been interviewed and are being issued with Deportation Liability Notices by NZ immigration compliance staff.
According to INZ general manager Peter Elms, new information puts the number of students entering on the illegal visas at 246, with 74 visas already expired and their holders at risk of deportation. The remainder, 172 people, are known to be on fraudulently obtained visas and are also liable for deportation if their circumstances warrant it.
The push to identify the visa holders began last Wednesday, with Elms reporting his officers are finding implicated students on a daily basis. He added that two Chinese students were apprehended in Christchurch in a joint police/immigration operation and that eight more were discovered in a Blenheim property and served with notices of deportation.
Elms added that none of the apprehended students could speak English and that it appeared they had been labouring in a vineyard. He said the incident should send a strong message to employers of overseas workers to check their papers to ensure they are working legally.
NZI is investigating whether employers are using student visa holders and are prepared to take legal action if necessary. Officers are also contacting the parents of Chinese students and asking them to encourage their children to contact the authorities if they are overstaying.
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