MBIE disrupts organised crime

Immigration Compliance and Investigations, and Risk and Verification teams, have been working to disrupt illegal activity by organised crime groups in New Zealand.

General Manager Immigration Compliance and Investigations, Steve Watson says these groups had links to criminal syndicates who exploited vulnerable migrants by using them to live in residential properties to set up sophisticated indoor cannabis growing systems.

The three-month operation involved investigating 38 companies to ensure that they were complying with their Immigration and employment obligations. Since the operation began:

• 16 infringement notices were issued to companies employing staff in a manner that is inconsistent with a work-related condition of that person’s visa
• 38 deportation liability notices have been issued for people unlawfully in New Zealand or breaching visa conditions,
• 2 people unlawfully in New Zealand voluntarily left the country,
• 62 visas were cancelled for people who were not currently in the country, and a further eight visas were cancelled at the Border,
• 8 passengers were offloaded from their flights to New Zealand,

“Disrupting this activity now is key to preventing further harm and vulnerable migrants being exploited by unscrupulous employers,” says Mr Watson.

“As a result of our interactions with these employers, information has also been shared with, and referred to, other areas of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and partner agencies for further action where other non-compliance or criminal offending was identified.”

“This Operation is an excellent example of cooperation across Government agencies, working together to ensure that the integrity of the Immigration system is upheld and those that do not meet their obligations are held to account.”

Many of these migrants were from the Vietnamese community. We will work with the migrants involved with this operation that are still in New Zealand on a case-by-case basis. Where they are breaching their visa conditions, or are here unlawfully, they will be assisted with pathways out of the country.

MBIE, Immigration New Zealand and our partner agencies want to ensure migrant communities are kept safe from those employers who would exploit the conditions of their work visas.

“Migrant workers need to be aware of those who may seek to exploit them,” says Mr Watson.

“If you are asked to pay large amounts of money to an offshore agent to travel and work in New Zealand, it is highly likely that this is part of a scam.”

Information about employment rights in New Zealand and using Licensed Immigration Advisers, in multiple languages:

Minimum rights of employees - language translations — Employment New Zealand

Guides and resources — Licensed Immigration Advisers on the Immigration Advisers Authority

We continue to encourage anyone with information about suspected illegal criminal activity in their community to contact NZ Police on 111 in an emergency, or 105 for non-emergency. Alternatively contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111.

Anyone concerned with possible immigration breaches or exploitation should contact MBIE on 0800 20 90 20.