Rajen Prasad
Spokesperson on Immigration
20 March 2014
Minister must stop scammers
Michael Woodhouse should ask how information which would normally be available only to Immigration New Zealand has ended
up in the hands of scammers, says Labour’s Immigration Spokesperson Rajen Prasad.
“The Police say they have received complaints from at least eleven immigrants who have fallen victim to these scams. So
far the police have no clues on who the scammers are, but all the victims known to them are from India.
“There can only be two sources of private information on immigrants and their applications for visas - either
Immigration New Zealand or the Visa Application Centres that process all applications. Visa Application Centres are
businesses operating under contract to Immigration New Zealand. They are located in 12 countries and, for a fee, receive
and process all applications for visas.
“The Visa Application Centres need to be organisations held in high trust as they have access to passports and other
private details of applicants. Similarly immigration New Zealand must also guarantee private information is thoroughly
protected.
“There were over 37,000 applications lodged through Visa Application Centres in the 2012-13 financial year and therefore
they urgently need to ensure the security of the system and applicants’ private information on applicants.
“We need an urgent examination of all potential sources of the information on applicants that could be being leaked to
the scammers.”
ENDS