A 30-year-old woman has been convicted of immigration fraud over her role in the lodging of fake refugee claims.
Nurul Syahirah Binti Noor Azman was found guilty of five counts of supplying false or misleading information under the Immigration Act, following an Immigration New Zealand (INZ) investigation in the Bay of Plenty in 2020.
INZ manager Karen Bishop said they discovered migrant workers in the horticulture industry were being encouraged to falsely claim refugee status, to obtain work visas and other privileges.
Azman charged workers up to $600 each to facilitate these fake claims, Bishop said, calling the offending "cynical, manipulative and damaging to genuine refugees".
"Receiving these claims took up valuable time and effort for our Refugee and Protection staff. It was time and effort that genuine applicants with real needs missed out on," she said.
Azman's case was heard in Auckland and she is set to be sentenced in February.
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