Overstayers giving up on unbearable' life

Immigration New Zealand keeps a close eye on temporary horticultural workers. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Overstayers are turning themselves in after finding life here to be "unbearable", says an immigration adviser.

The number of overstayers has been steadily declining since 2004, the Department of Labour says.

It estimates there are 15,760 overstayers in the country, down from 15,880 last October.

However, in its latest report to the Immigration Minister, Immigration New Zealand attributes the downward trend to ongoing cleaning up of data and risk management strategies implementation, which include placing risk managers in overseas immigration "high risk" branch offices, and the prosecution of people involved in immigration fraud.

Immigration New Zealand this month also began fingerprinting some people entering the country, particularly those applying for refugee status and those with no identity papers or passports.

Immigration investigations have led to three men being sentenced to jail in Napier for using illegal foreign workers in the horticulture and viticulture industries, and the arrest of an education manager and a licensed immigration adviser in Auckland for immigration fraud.

"Many migrants with [the] intention to overstay come here thinking they are moving to paradise.

"But many later find out they have actually jumped from the frying pan into the fire," said the adviser, who did not want to be named.

"They live in conditions worse than where they came from, earn less and are left at the mercy of their employers or the people sheltering them. So, they think it is better to give themselves up than continue suffering."

Last Friday, a Thai national who has been here illegally for two years turned himself in after having earlier avoided a police search in Te Puke involving the Tauranga search and rescue team, quad bikes and a helicopter.

Payao Chaimat, came here in 2007 on a temporary work permit, which has expired, with two other Thai men to work in an orchard in Marlborough.

He ran from police when Immigration officials and police approached him and two other men last Tuesday.

Chaimat and the other men are now in police custody facing deportation.

But an Immigration spokeswoman says the department still does not know the whereabouts of 10 missing Indian pilgrims, who vanished on their way to see the Pope in Australia in 2008.

Countries with significant increases of overstayers were Fiji and Kiribati, up 126 to 1045 and 24 to 130 respectively.

There were significant decreases in the number of overstayers from Asian countries, which may be linked to the decline in temporary arrivals from the region.

"The most common permit last held by an overstayer is a visitor's permit," the department said.

"Across all countries sampled, a total of 67 per cent of overstayers last held a visitor's permit."

China remained an exception, where student overstayers (36 per cent), outnumbered visitor overstayers (32 per cent).

Despite having smaller numbers, Vietnam's rate of overstaying is greater than Fiji's, with 119 of 19,631 arrivals having overstayed.

STAYING ON
Estimated overstayer numbers by nationality:

1. Samoa...3945 (down 36)
2. Tonga...2995 (up 209)
3. China...1678 (down 199)
4. Fiji...1045 (up 126)
5. Malaysia...629 (down 9)

Overall1...5,760 (down 120)

Source: Department of Labour