Andrew Little
Leader of the Opposition
MEDIA STATEMENT

23 August 2016

Student visa fraud & exploitation must stop

The Government must act immediately to end fraud and exploitation of international students that threatens to damage New Zealand’s reputation, Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little says.

“International students are being sold a false dream. They’re being promised better opportunities including jobs that simply aren’t there.

“The Government’s own officials admit families are being ‘crippled with debt’ and can’t afford to study here. This is the result of fraud by unscrupulous agents who are rorting the system.

“This exploitation of international students must stop. It is wrong and it is putting New Zealand’s reputation at risk. The Government has known about this for some time now and there are serious questions about why it has allowed this to continue.

“New Zealand has a good international reputation for fair play and our export education sector relies on this. We should be ensuring that every student who comes here gets a fair go and is not exploited.

“The Government must stamp out this exploitation and abuse,” Andrew Little says.

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