Immigration NZ scam: Employers step up to help scammed migrants find work

Migrant workers line up outside the Māngere Memorial Hall waiting for interviews. Photo / RNZ

By RNZ

A full-day job matching event took place in South Auckland on Wednesday to help a large group of South Asian migrants scammed out of thousands of dollars for the promise of work in New Zealand.

The group of 146 migrants from India and Bangladesh are on accredited employer work visas (AEWV) and have been living in overcrowded houses in Auckland with no work for months.

The full-day event organised by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) took place at the Māngere Memorial Hall.

MSD said it was organised through its Jobs and Skills Hub, which supports recruitment for the construction and infrastructure sectors.

It comes after almost a dozen employment workshops over the past few weeks through which MSD assessed the workers’ skills.

Satyanarayana Lanka, 43, is a welder with over 18 years of experience.

His home is in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh in India, but has spent most of his career working abroad in places including Singapore, Russia and Abu Dhabi.

Lanka said he was excited that he would finally have an opportunity in New Zealand now.

“I feel very happy, exactly I came here four months ago, but I never get the job, that’s why we coming here, so we hope today we get the job.”

Lanka hoped all of the workers would get jobs as many had families to support back home.

Ramesh is also a welder from India with about eight years’ experience and had paid about $12,000 for his visa.

Satyanarayana Lanka, a 43-year-old welder, hasn't had work for four months. Photo / RNZ / Lucy Xia

He had interviewed for three companies at the event and was expecting to find out the result next week.

“I’m hopeful for a job offer,” he said.

Advocate Anu Kaloti said some workers had already been offered jobs and others had been shortlisted.

“It’s good to see and we’re very thankful and appreciative for the goodhearted and genuine employers.”

Kaloti said other workers in similar situations were also asking for job matching support and living assistance which the government had offered to this cohort.

An employer at the event, the recruitment company Accordant Group, said it was happy to help the South Asian workers.

Chief executive Jason Cherrington said it reached out to MSD when it found out about their predicament.

“We do have quite a few meaningful relationships with New Zealand businesses, and they’ve been feeling the challenge of labour shortages ... so if we can help facilitate that connection in some way, and help those that clearly right now are in need, then I think it’s a good thing.”

MSD group general manager of employment Hugh Miller said it had had positive feedback from the 11 employers who were impressed with the calibre of the candidates.

Meanwhile, Immigration New Zealand would not say whether it would consider extending the job support to other migrants affected by AEWV-related fraud.

It said it was concentrating on this cohort of Indian and Bangladeshi workers.

INZ said it was expected the workers would be moved to new accommodation before the end of this week.

It continues to investigate the group of five to six employers in relation to this group of workers, and is in the process of cancelling the visas of 135 offshore migrants who had AEWVs linked to these employers.