Media

Immigration News & Media Coverage
2021
Emotionally drained highly skilled worker quits NZ after years away from wife, daughter RNZ
Official discrimination against Indian migrants gets nasty Indian News Link
Labour shortage reaching crunch point
"ASB reckons we're near full employment, and yet the labour shortage has never been worse. With closed borders, where's this going to end?"
ZB
Immigration New Zealand confirms partners among those whose visas have been cancelled
"It's an exact repeat of what happened in November 2019 when the government, basically with one stroke of the minister's pen, eliminated a whole bunch of culturally arranged marriages from the Indian subcontinent" - Alastair McClymont
RNZ
Alastair McClymont: Immigration lawyer says 50 thousand cancelled visa applications a cataclysmic mess NewstalkZB
On the edge: are New Zealand's tough immigration rules harming the economy? The Guardian
2019
Jacinda Ardern steps in to resolve partnership visa standoff NZ Herald
Government takes another look at partnership visas
Alastair McClymont has spent the last month lobbying the Minister of Immigration, MPs and doing media interviews to push for an immediate change to partnership visas. The Minister has now conceded that something must be done.
RNZ
Are we exploiting migrants or giving them a chance? Stuff
Vicious cycle: Why are some Indian migrants so badly exploited in NZ?
Alastair McClymont, who has worked with Indian migrants for 20 years, explains the exploitation patterns.
Stuff
Before 2017
Immigration fraudsters offer cash for fake jobs
Immigration New Zealand is investigating cash for fake jobs scam, where business owners are offered bribes to help students acquire visas.
Newshub
Dodgy agencies to blame for possible deportations
"It's impossible to believe that the schools here are unaware of the fraudulent practices of many of the education agents in India." - Alastair McClymont
Newshub
Widespread fraud found among education agencies representing Indian students
Immigration lawyer Alastair McClymont said the main fraud was creating false bank documents to show the student's family had access to funds to pay school fees.
Stuff
Alastair McClymont: Beware ignorant debate on motivated migrants
New foreign residents have come in for heated criticism for being supposedly one of the leading causes of our inflated housing market and stealing low-skilled jobs from locals.
NZ Herald
Students target Indian MP to fight deportation NZ Herald
Immigration agent still working despite proven fraud
An Indian immigration agent several students used to help get them into New Zealand is still working despite being proven to have used fraudulent documents - Alastair McClymont
YouTube
Lawyer: Students facing deportation are scapegoats
Alastair McClymont representing a group of Indian students caught up in visa fraud wants the immigration minister to quash their deportation orders.
RNZ

Case studies:

  • Mrs A is a widow who arrived in New Zealand as the holder of a three-year multiple-entry grandparent visa which was valid until February 2021. Mrs A lodged a further visitor visa to extend her stay in New Zealand, however unfortunately her application was declined, and she became unlawful in New Zealand.

    We lodged a humanitarian appeal to the Immigration Protection Tribunal and demonstrated that Mrs A will face hardship and significant risk to her life if she were required to return to India at this time. 

    This appeal was successful, and Mrs A was granted a six-month visitor visa to legally remain in New Zealand.

  • Mr X came to us having received a PPI letter on a Skilled Migrant application as a Retail Manager. The concerns that Immigration New Zealand had summarized in no less than four pages. A site visit had taken place in which INZ alleged that the owners were working in the shop so the applicant could not have been the real Manager, that applicant was spending all of his time serving customers only, that the owner was preparing all the marketing and purchasing plans and that the applicant was really working in customer service.

    We obtained full copies of the Immigration file, assessed the verification notes thoroughly and provided 15 pages of detailed submissions together with a further 47 pages of supporting evidence.

    The Residence Visa application was approved two months later.

  • Ms Z was interviewed by INZ fraud investigators about having given false qualifications and documents with her Student Visa application from China. She was served a Deportation Liability Notice.

    We provided 19 pages of extensive submissions and a complaint regarding the service of that Deportation Liability Notice and the failure of the Immigration Service to cancel it.

    In response to our complaint, Immigration New Zealand agreed to cancel the Deportation Liability Notice and Ms Z was then free to lodge an application for a further Student Visa and is now currently in New Zealand on a Graduate Work Visa despite having admitted in her investigation that false documents had been provided through her agent in China in the original Student Visa application.

  • Mr S came to us in October 2012. He had travelled to New Zealand in December 2000 and became an over-stayer in 2004.

    He tried on three occasions through various local agents to obtain a further visa under Sections 35A of the former Immigration Act.

    All of these applications were declined.

    We submitted a Special Directionapplication on Mr S’s behalf in November 2012 which included 18 pages of detailed submissions and a further 187 pages of supporting evidence.

    The second Special Directionapplication was successful, Mr S applied for and was granted a Work Visa and was finally granted a Residence Visa in February 2012. Since then he has successfully sponsored his parents on Multiple Entry Visitor Visas.