Job loophole beats immigration system

An Indian immigrant who slipped into New Zealand using a loophole and a job offer from National MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi is allowed to stay here permanently.

The man told Immigration Service investigators he paid $2500 to an immigration agent then got a job offer from Mr Bakshi to support his application.

But when he arrived in 2003-04 he never worked for or met Mr Bakshi. He got residence and moved from Auckland to Tauranga, where he still lives.

Documents obtained under the Official Information Act show the man was tracked down during the Immigration Service's investigation of Mr Bakshi's allegedly fake job offers.

"After some hesitation he admitted that he had never met Bakshi and never worked for him."

The documents say that Immigration Service policy at the time was that applicants did not have to physically work for the person making the job offer.

This loophole was closed at about the same time in late 2003, and immigrants must now take up the job offer and stay for three months or face having their residence revoked.

Mr Bakshi, who denies any wrongdoing, said he had no concerns when the man did not turn up to his job offer.

"I don't remember. I offered someone [a job] and they did not turn up. I was never informed they got a visa or anything like that."

The documents show the man said he paid $2500 to the immigration agent - understood to be Darshan Singh or an associate - for his services.

"No money to his knowledge was paid to Bakshi; he had no complaints against Bakshi or [the agent]."

The man believed the job offer to work at the now-defunct Nanak Homes was genuine. His case is one of three job offers from Mr Bakshi used to support residency applications that were investigated by the Immigration Service. It closed the file because of "insufficient evidence".

Mr Bakshi denied receiving any money for the job offers or providing any misleading or false information to the Immigration Service.

Prime Minister John Key yesterday said that when the allegations were first raised on the election trail Mr Bakshi "categorically stated they were not correct".

He said he had also seen a letter written to Mr Bakshi's lawyer that said "your client has been completely cleared of wrongdoing".

Mr Key said that while the report obtained by the Herald raised an issue in one area - that an Immigration Service investigator suspected one of the complainants was paid off by Mr Bakshi or one of his supporters - it found no wrongdoing.

Mr Key said when the investigation began, Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman wrote to the service to emphasise that Mr Bakshi was not given any special treatment.

THE BAKSHI FILE

THE MP: Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, arrived from Delhi in 2001. Became NZ's first Sikh MP at the election.

THE AGENT: Darshan Singh, who allegedly took money from potential migrants and arranged job offers from Mr Bakshi that would help their immigration applications. Has left New Zealand.

CASE ONE: Kamal Kaur and husband Kuldeep Singh say they paid $25,000 to Darshan Singh and got a job offer from Mr Bakshi. Refused to make a formal complaint when traced in India. An Immigration Service investigator suspected they were paid off by Mr Bakshi or one of his supporters.

CASE TWO: Another Indian woman who paid about $25,000 to agent and got a job offer from Mr Bakshi. Application declined.

CASE THREE: Indian man paid $2500, got job offer from Mr Bakshi for residence but never used it and settled in Tauranga.