The agency says scams on social media and apps like WhatsApp are becoming more commonplace.

General manager of immigration compliance and investigation Steve Watson said unscrupulous people were targeting migrants wanting to come to New Zealand.

Tactics being used included charging an excessive amount of money for a job or promising something that was not within the conditions of a visa.

"All of the information and the one source of truth is on the Immigration NZ website." Read more

The Minister of Immigration Andrew Little says people considering moving to New Zealand must be wary.

"Watch out for the scams," he says.

"If you are paying tens of thousands of dollars in order to come to work here, you are being scammed. That is not what it costs to get a visa to come here, so be very careful."

Hundreds already scammed

The New Zealand Government does not know how many migrant workers have been scammed.

What is known is that hundreds are caught in employment scams where advantage is taken of Government employer-worker schemes.

The scammers then target workers for fees, into the tens of thousands of dollars, as they enable the migrant workers to come to New Zealand.

When their "prey" arrive in New Zealand the promised jobs are nowhere to be seen.

The scammed migrants then find themselves trapped in miserable conditions - as provided by the scammers.

Hundreds have been discovered crammed into homes and living in squalor.

Government review

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has launched a review of its Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). It expects to complete the review before the end of the year.

On Wednesday INZ also unveiled a support package for migrant workers who fall victim to scammers.

The AEWV scheme allows employers to get accreditation to use the visa to hire migrants for up to three years. The support package includes temporary funding for accommodation and essential living costs for victims.

Exploited migrant workers will be able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV).

The MEPV will give them more time to find a job. It will also provide the workers with a free job search assistance service.

Immigration Minister Andrew Little said last Wednesday that about 250 exploited migrants are currently on Migrant Exploitation Protection Visas.

He adds that not every migrant worker who claims exploitation goes onto that visa.

"So I expect the number who have experienced some form of exploitation will be bigger than that."

Protecting future targets from becoming victims

Little says immigration rules are being strengthened.

He also promises prospective employer checks will be better and that individual job checks will take place.

He says the 90-day trial period for accredited employer work visas is being removed.

"Too often recently we've seen migrants arriving and starting work only to be dismissed within days" Little says.

A migrant worker advocate welcomed the support package but there were still concerns.

Faisol Miah, secretary of the Bangladesh Skilled Migrant Association New Zealand, said the six-month period for the MEPV may not be long enough for migrants to secure work.

"They may not be able to get any job within six months ... I don't think six months is enough.

"They [the migrants] just want certainty over the job [situation] ... they're worried over this."

Source

• RNZ

House by house by house across Auckland they are exposing places scammers are holding their victims.

Investigations to date

INZ officials investigating Indian and Bangladeshi migrant exploitation had already found 115 workers living in appalling conditions. They all had accredited employer work visas (AEWV).

Just three weeks after finding the 115, INZ say investigators have identified another 29 victims.

That's a tally of 144 migrants. All were were living in crammed and unsanitary conditions, squeezed into 10 houses across Auckland.

The investigators say the places were unsuitable for accommodating such large numbers.

Visas paid, work promised

Many of the victims found by INZ had paid thousands of dollars for accredited employer work visas.

Some say they have had no pay or income since arriving here.

They have found little or no work available, despite being promised jobs with a handful of employers.

Those employers are now being investigated about the mistreatment claims.

INZ says it is working with the Indian High Commission in New Zealand and the Bangladeshi High Commission in Australia about the investigation.

Continuing investigations

INZ is now speaking to all the migrants and expects this will take some time. It says it's encouraging migrants to attend MSD's Jobs and Skills hubs.

So far, it has completed its review of 190 people still overseas who were issued the visas and are linked to the companies under investigation.

Of the 190 overseas visa holders, INZ reports that 135 have had their visas cancelled.

It also reports some of the remaining people have applied for a new visa. In some cases, visas have expired, INZ says. In addition, a few were cancelled at the border.

Tracing the vile swell

Besides the ongoing Indian and Bangladeshi investigation, INZ is currently investigating hundreds of migrant exploitation allegations against dozens of accredited employers. At present, 154 are being investigated for criminal offending.

In addition, INZ says 52 employers are being assessed to have their accreditation revoked. By mid-last month, six had already been revoked and five suspended.

INZ says it is also investigating 151 complaints about migrants working in breach of visa conditions.

Employment New Zealand is examining another 406 which relate to breaches of employment law and migrant exploitation.

Help offered

Various agencies have come forward to help the victims. They include Victim Support, the Ministry of Social Development, the Police and community representatives.

Source

• NZ Herald

The concern follows media exposure of numerous shameful examples of migrant workers coming to New Zealand and finding themselves without work, money or suitable accommodation.

On Monday, INZ said it had received 711 complaints against accredited employers, with 154 being investigated for criminal offending.

Of these, INZ said 52 employers are being assessed to have their accreditation revoked. By mid-last month, six had already been revoked and five suspended.

Steve Watson, INZ's general manager of immigration compliance and investigations, said 151 of those complaints have been referred to INZ's compliance department as they relate to migrants working in breach of visa conditions.

Employment New Zealand is examining another 406, as these were about breaches of employment law and migrant exploitation.

Migrants exploitation - the many ugly faces

Multiple investigations over migrant exploitation are underway.

It is just three weeks since 115 workers from India and Bangladesh on accredited employer work visas (AEWV) were found living in crammed and unsanitary conditions. They said they had had no income for months.

In May, the Herald reported hundreds of Nepalese may have paid up to $30,000 for visas to non-existent jobs.

Up to 250 migrants from South American countries paid large amounts for visas to come here on a false promise of residency-leading jobs.

There are ongoing concerns too, that not enough is being done to tackle worker exploitation in the alcohol industry.

Newshub's Nick Truebridge found 40 migrants "holed up" at a Papakura house without food.

He says the migrants were subjected to these conditions after trying to find a better life under the Accredited Employer Work Visa Scheme.

RNZ's Lucy Xia tells migrant exploitation stories too. She speaks of migrants allegedly exploited and left all but destitute after being told they were heading into decent jobs.

Immigration Minister Andrew Little says migrant exploitation has resulted in over 200 offshore migrants' visas being cancelled.

He says 10 migrants were stopped, turned around at the New Zealand border and their visas were cancelled.

INZ confirms the Minister's comments in this respect, but says he's mistaken about INZ cancelling the visas of 193 offshore migrants caught in a scam.

They haven't been cancelled.

"These individuals have border alerts so we can ensure they do not board a flight and come to New Zealand until such time as their employment has been verified," INZ national manager Peter Elms says.

He also confirmed INZ had not cancelled any accredited employer work visas of offshore migrants whose employers have had their accreditation revoked.

1News says INZ investigations are focusing on "five to six" accredited employers who had about 400 visas issued to them, and on their mistreatment of 115 Indian and Bangladeshi workers.

Source

• RNZ
• NZ Herald
• 1News
• NZ Herald
• CathNews NZ