Immigration New Zealand is looking into 164 accredited companies
Immigration New Zealand is looking into more than 160 accredited employers after complaints of worker abuse and violations of the work visa system.
As of August 9, six companies had their certification taken away, and five had theirs taken away. Some of the reasons are that they broke hiring laws, made false statements, went out of business, or hired immigrants who didn't have the right to work or who broke their visa rules.
Last week, a migrant worker from India who spoke to the Herald on the condition that he not be named was beaten and left at the airport early in the morning because he didn't pay his boss "extortion" money.
The 27-year-old painter, who only wanted to be called Singh, was hired from India. He paid about $20,000 for his first visa and came to New Zealand last month. He lived with his boss's family and three other workers in a two-bedroom house in South Auckland.
Singh didn't get paid for the three weeks he worked. Instead, his boss asked him to pay another $20,000 and said he would have to leave the country if he didn't.
He responded, "I wanted to come here to get a job so I could pay you back. "I provided all of my family's funds and even borrowed money, so I had nothing left to give.
"I begged them to be kind, but they said that if I ran out of money they would deport me and tell me I couldn't come back to New Zealand."
When it was clear he couldn't pay any more money, the man said his boss and two of his coworkers beat him up early on August 9 and drove him to Auckland Airport.
They walked him to the departure lounge, but when they gave Singh's passport to the ticket counter, Singh yelled that he needed the police, and the three men ran away.
A social worker and the Takanini Gurdwara Sahib Sikh temple are now helping him. They are giving him a place to live and food.
Singh asked the Herald not to ask for views or get in touch with the employer because he was afraid of getting in trouble because they knew where his family was in Punjab.
Dalijit Singh, head of The Supreme Sikh Society of NZ, said that Singh was one of about 10 exploited migrant workers who are brought to the temple every week.
Since the accredited employer program was established, "this has become a serious issue," Daljit said.
At a Working In breakfast conference at the Park Hyatt on Wednesday morning, it was said that it was usual for migrant workers from India to be "sold" work visas for around $30,000.
Scott Mathieson, the head of Working In, said that "agents" were also lying to the applicants about the jobs they were being offered.
According to Steve Watson, the agency's head of immigration compliance and investigation, the Accredited Employer Work Visa is the primary short-term work visa and is designed to give New Zealanders priority when applying for jobs.
According to Watson's explanation, authorized firms are able to hire migrants in regions that are experiencing severe labour or skill shortages.
Since the new visa started in July 2022, more than 77,000 Accredited Employer Work Visas have been granted, and there are about 27,400 accredited employers.
He said that the office heard all kinds of claims and complaints, such as that workers were being exploited, that people overstayed their visas, or that people were working or hiring workers illegally.
Not all of the issues are about the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). This means that Immigration New Zealand is always looking into more than one thing at once. "These can be about a person, an employer, or more than one employer," he said.
"As of August 6, 2023, we are looking into 164 companies who have been approved. There are different steps to these investigations, and we can't talk about them.
He said that an accredited employer's status can be revoked if there is an ongoing probe or case for possible noncompliance.
"As a result, we can't give you any more information about employers whose accreditation has been suspended at this time," he said.
"Most employers do the right thing and treat their migrant workers properly and well. Employers are supposed to take their jobs seriously and follow the rules of AEWV.
