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25 men caught trying to enter NZ without proper visas
(HTM) Source
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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.
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