Solutions needed for student visa processing

A lack of vision and long-term strategy from the National Government have directly contributed to the student visa application fraud debacle, says Labour’s Export Education Spokesperson Raymond Huo.

“Instead of tightening our regulation and border controls, in the last Budget the National Government decided to cut $170,000 a year of funding for the regulation of immigration advisers.

“These advisors are a part of the regime that play an active role in immigration processes including student visa applications.

“Under the current licensing regime anyone giving immigration advice must have a licence whether they are onshore or offshore --except if they are an exempt person.

“An ‘exempt person’ can include people providing advice offshore about students' visa applications - which, under current circumstances, has caused problems and needs a new approach to ensure a situation, such as the fraud debacle we are faced with, doesn’t happen again. However, the so-called Super Minister Steven Joyce seems content to just sit there doing nothing but wait for the time bomb to go off.

“Concerned parties told me that the line between applications for immigrants and those for international students are becoming blurred. This should be a concern, but doesn’t seem to be on the government’s radar.

“The rules must be tightened to make sure only eligible and qualified students are coming to New Zealand.

"As a country we have the prerogative to decide who we target as prospective students. If we can prove to the world that we are good-quality providers, we will attract good quality students.

"If the government continues to senselessly cut costs the quality of agencies like Immigration New Zealand will suffer said Raymond Huo.