By 1news.co.nz and is republished with permission
Twenty-five men from Bangladesh have been caught trying to enter New Zealand without the required visas.
The men were about to board a flight to Auckland from Kuala Lumpur when “routine checks” identified several “eligibility concerns” and “red flags”, according to Immigration New Zealand (INZ).
The group were travelling with electronic travel authorities, which enabled a stopover in New Zealand.
Inquiries by INZ’s airline liaison officer in Kuala Lumpur and airline staff “confirmed the travellers’ true intent was not to join a cruise or transit to Australia, but to enter New Zealand”.
INZ said a preliminary inquiry suggested the group had been misled by an “unknown agent” into believing they had valid work visas for New Zealand.
“INZ is pursuing leads to identify those behind the scam, but locating those involved in situations like this may be challenging,” a statement read.
INZ national manager border Peter Elms said: “We take these situations very seriously and acted swiftly to prevent a potential border breach.
“This incident serves as a prime example of our commitment to proactively managing risk offshore and protecting the integrity of the immigration system and New Zealand border.
“Anybody seeking to work in New Zealand needs to be very careful that they are not being tricked out of their money and falsely offered jobs. We advise people to protect themselves by checking with the companies involved to ensure any offers are genuine.
“Anyone who is a victim of a visa scam should report it to their local law enforcement agencies in their country of residence or the country where the scam occurred.”
The NZeTAs for all men have been cancelled and the men have had border alerts placed on them.
