Migrant News Feb 2018

P a g e 0 2 w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I M i g r a n t N e w s : W e l c o m e t o N e w Z e a l a n d E x p o I Migrant Job Board
Education agent charged
AUCKLAND - A 47-yearold
Auckland woman appeared
in the Auckland District
Court earlier this month,
charged with unlawfully providing
immigration advice and
taking fees for the advice from
seven Chinese nationals.
The Immigration Advisers
Authority (IAA) has charged
Hanfang (Helen) Liu, from
Headsun International Group
Ltd, under the Immigration
Advisers Licensing Act 2007,
with four counts of asking for a
fee for providing immigration
advice while not being, and
knowing she was required to
be, licensed.
She has also been charged
with three counts of providing
immigration advice while not
being licensed and knowing she
was required to be licensed.
The charges related to advice
provided on student, visitor and
work visa applications.
Ms Liu has been remanded
on bail until 10 May 2018.
Immigration Advisers Authority
Registrar Catherine
Albiston says: “Our message to
international students seeking
immigration advice in New
Zealand is to check if the person
is a Licensed Immigration
Adviser or exempt, such as a
New Zealand lawyer.”
Immigration Advisers must
be licensed by the IAA, a New
Zealand government body set
up to protect individuals and
families looking for immigration
advice, or be an exempt
person.
“Visa information is available
on the Immigration New
Zealand website. If students
need personalised immigration
help, it is important to only
seek it from people who can
legally give New Zealand
immigration advice,” adds Ms
Albiston.
“Holding an immigration
adviser licence means that the
individual has met competency
standards and must be professional.”
You can find a licensed
immigration adviser on the
IAA’s register of licensed
immigration advisers.
“Anyone can talk to the IAA
about their experience without
their immigration status being
affected,” adds Catherine.
More information on the IAA
can be found at www.iaa.
govt.nz.
Storm in a teacup
Workers in demand have always been able to be recruited offshore.
Property
developers Fu
Wah have been
in the news lately
for moves to
recruit construction
workers
from China.
Aaron Martin
The Beijingbased
construction company is
applying for short-term work
visas for 200+ workers to complete
the fit-out of new luxury
Auckland hotel Park Hyatt by
March next year.
The Opposition are trying to
paint this as the Government
making a ‘u-turn’ on immigration
policy and letting more
migrants into the country. But I
have to agree with Immigration
Minister Iain Lees-Galloway
here: what is all the fuss about?
We all know that there are not
enough skilled tradespeople currently
in New Zealand to complete
all the infrastructure and
housing projects that are underway
and planned for. We will
need to look to the overseas
workforce if we want projects
done.
opinion
By AARON MARTIN
The current criteria that permits
New Zealand employers to
request approval from Immigration
New Zealand to recruit
multiple foreign workers has
more than adequate safe guards
to protect the jobs of New
Zealanders.
• Employers must show that
they cannot find suitably skilled
workers locally.
• All the visa applicants
recruited through this approval
mechanism must meet certain
qualification/experience thresholds.
• These workers will only have
permission to remain in New
Zealand for the duration of the
project/job.
This process has worked very
well for a long time, although it
has been somewhat underutilised
by Kiwi employers. It represents
an ideal solution when a large
labour force is required quickly
for a short duration to complete
large construction projects.
It’s also worth noting that
workers must be employed
under New Zealand labour laws,
so there is no risk of the migrants
being exploited here.
If there is any other perceived
‘risk’ to border integrity or costs
to say, the health system,
Immigration New Zealand can
require the New Zealand
Company to provide a formal
sponsorship undertaking.
If the Minister wants to
enhance the current system to
deal with any ‘risks’, then he
could look at the Pastoral Care
obligations that Recognised
Seasonal Employers have to
abide by. It might be good to add
these obligations onto the existing
rules for when a company
applies for a large number of
visas for one project.
Personally I hope that the companies
working on the State
Highway 1 roadworks at Drury
and Takanini follow Fu Wah’s
lead and import some construction
workers to speed things up
and bring back some sanity back
to the commute from South
Auckland.