‘Dishonoured’ students call for fair treatment

September 7, 2016

‘Dishonoured’ students call for fair treatment

The students held a protest to get justice last week. Photo: Supplied / Mandeep Singh

Potential deportees are fearing for their families’ reputations back home in India.

The Government issued a deportation notice in May to more than 40 Indian students for providing false documents to Immigration New Zealand in order to get a student visa.

The students held a protest march to National Party list MP Parmjeet Parmar‘s Mount Roskill office last week.

To obtain a visa, students must demonstrate they can pay fees and living expenses in New Zealand. It is common practice in India for an agent to complete visa and admission procedures for students.

Indian students studying in New Zealand can face fees of tens of thousands of dollars.

Sunil Chinta is from a farming family and is among the students who received the deportation notice. He said he had done nothing wrong.

“We are not frauds. My visa papers were clear and I am paying tax regularly with my part-time job.”

He said the immigration department could have called him if they had any doubts about his visa application.

Mr Chinta paid $17,800 to enrol in a business course at AWI International Education Group in Auckland CBD. Now he cannot complete his course.

“I want my parents’ hard-earned money back.”

He said his family’s reputation is now at stake.

Kiran Maru, who is studying business information systems at the UUNZ business school in central Auckland, said he could not tell his parents about the deportation notice.

“We are under a lot of pressure and it is miserable not to have anyone’s support.”

He said his parents had high hopes in him and it would be difficult for them to face society after his deportation.

Mr Maru is the only degree-holder in his family. He told his parents that he wanted to study at the University of Auckland next year.

“I wanted to start an e-commerce website in New Zealand with my IT background and business skills.”

Auckland-based Migrant Workers Association spokesperson, Anu Kaloti, said Indians believe Western countries are completely corruption-free.

“By dishonouring and sending them back, these students will be seen as a failure and guilty by their own people in India.”

Alastair McClymont, an immigration law specialist, said the agents were the cause of the fraud.

“The students had no knowledge of it, but were being held responsible.”

He said the Government can’t go after the agents and has no power to hold the schools responsible.

“The only thing they can do is to make an example of the students to avoid it happening again.”

The Associate Minister of Immigration’s office is currently dealing with the students’ request that their deportation notices be cancelled, said Mr McClymont.

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