Rt Hon Winston Peters

New Zealand First Leader

Member of Parliament for Northland
22 JUNE 2016

Joyce Ignored Warnings on Dodgy Foreign Student Visas

The blame for fraudulent paperwork from foreign students in New Zealand rests with Minister Stephen Joyce, says New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“He’s opened up New Zealand to a flood of students, mostly from India and China, and allowed free-wheeling, unlicensed agents in other countries to siphon as many as they could through.

“Of course they were going to corrupt a loose system. In a fit of wilful ignorance Mr Joyce’s government extended work visa hours for foreign students, we were inundated.

“Now Immigration NZ is discovering that many applications were approved with paperwork falsified by agents. The department should have done all the approvals, not con artists calling themselves agents and ripping their own people off.

“Back in 2012 and on numerous other occasions we have warned the government but they turned a blind eye. On 11 July, 2012 we warned that 231 people had falsely obtained New Zealand student visas at the Beijing office, but the government refused to investigate.

“Minister Joyce with his litany of weasel words and excuses lets the dollar rule, and we’ve been taken for fools.

“National has pushed for students and made concessions against export education to prop up private training establishments profiting from international students. Now we have a huge so-called export industry in education where substantial fraud is involved. And this government has known about it for years whilst indulging in a cover-up.

“Just today the industry says it doesn’t want licensed agents, obviously all they want is the money and don’t care how much their country is corrupted to that industry’s advantage. Much of that industry is corrupt having started with export education and now surviving with foreign students in New Zealand being educated at our economy’s expense.

“These people are destroying the integrity of the education system as is the government.

“Many students are mere pawns, as are their families - many will have gone into huge debt to get their child a chance to come to this country and will be thrown into dire circumstances with money lenders if they are deported because of fraud against our system.

“But the guilt starts with the Prime Minister and his sordid Cabinet.”

ENDS

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