In the latest immigration scam to surface, a group of six men from India were led to believe they had jobs on board a cruise ship.
But more than a month later, the group are still living in a central Auckland backpackers and the ship they thought they'd be working on has left the country and is not due to return for at least five months.
The men, who don't want to be named out of fears their family back home will worry, arrived in November on a 28 day visa granted for the purpose of joining a cruise ship.
"In my case, my parents are not well," one of the men explained. "I can't burden them with so much pain."
They'd paid thousands of dollars each to an offshore agent, who provided them with visa paperwork, including a contract with a company known as Ocean Resourcing, that would supposedly contract them out to work on P&O Cruise Liner the Princess Explorer.
But as their visa got closer to expiring, and with no sign of a job, the men approached 1News. Despite their visas being approved by Immigration New Zealand, it didn't take long to spot a few red flags in their paperwork.
First the phone numbers - none went through to a working line. The company's physical addresses also did not seem to appear to match the company listed.
And despite the company's website indicating its presence in both Canada and Australia, it was not listed as a company in either country.
The supposed ship they were meant to be working for had long left New Zealand. The men, now stuck in limbo, uncertain how, or if they'll be able to find a job here.
"Almost every one has borrowed so much money, if we went back we can't afford it," they explained.
It's the latest in a series of immigration scams that have surfaced this year, many linked to the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme. Concerns over how it was managed led to an independent review of the scheme - the findings of that not due out till early next year.
In this case the men were on temporary visas that permitted them to land here only for the purposes of joining the cruise ship.
Immigration New Zealand visa director Jock Gilray said when applications are accessed staff review all the information provided "including the employment confirmation".
"Individuals applying for a visa are required to provide accurate information with their application," he said. "If an individual provides false or misleading information the application will likely be declined and this will impact any future applications they make."
In a subsequent statement, immigration compliance national manager Stephanie Greathead said it's important for those wishing to come to New Zealand to be aware of those who would seek to exploit their immigration status.
"If you are being asked to pay large sums of money to offshore agents to travel and work in New Zealand, it is highly likely that this is part of a fraudulent scam."
While in opposition, now Immigration Minister Erica Stanford was adamant cases like these should be stopped at the border, to minimise the cost on the taxpayer when things go wrong.
In her first week as Immigration Minister she visited the agency's Manukau visa processing centre to see how recent changes to improve the checks were going.
"I have asked for further advice on options available to ensure we have the right balance of getting the skills we need into New Zealand, as well as protecting our border and reducing the risk of migrant exploitation."
But with talk of cuts to the public sector, others are asking how the right balance can be struck.
Immigration lawyer Pooja Sundar said the risk of exploitation does need to be managed, but it mustn't be so stringent it paralyses the system.
"It's about ensuring there are enough resources put into Immigration New Zealand... ensuring they have done the verification, but it not taking months, and months and months."
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