MBIE issues 142 infringement notices to 139 employers in New Zealand
The Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) has imposed a total of NZ$431,000 in penalties in the first year of the Immigration Employment Infringement Scheme.
The scheme allows the MBIE Immigration to issue infringement notices to both accredited and non-accredited employers who commit low-level offences.
In its first year, the MBIE said it issued 142 infringement notices to 139 employers.
A business in the mining industry received the highest penalty in the scheme's first year, after getting slapped with a NZ$27,000 penalty for underpaying a "significant number of migrant workers."
A Wellington construction company was also penalised with NZ$18,000 after authorities discovered that there were five migrants there working in breach of their visa conditions, and another one who was lawfully in the country.
According to the MBIE, the top three industries with the most infringements were the construction, hospitality, and the beauty industries.
Most penalties ranged from NZ$1,000 to NZ$3,000. Employers who receive infringement notices are also restricted from hiring migrants for a minimum of six months, depending on the number of notices they receive.
Michael Carley, Acting General Manager, Immigration Compliance and Investigations, said the Immigration Employment Infringement Scheme allowed the MBIE to tackle non-compliance more effectively and swiftly.
"Before the scheme, there were limited tools for us to use to address lower-level immigration offending," Carley said in a statement.
"Now, employers can no longer claim they are unaware of the rules of hiring migrants, nor can they rely on their past compliance to escape the consequences. There are serious penalties for those who fail to follow immigration laws."
The acting general manager then advised organisations to check their migrant workers' visa to ensure that they are allowed to work in New Zealand.
"We strongly advise that all employers use our Visa View tool to verify the work rights of prospective employees. Taking the time to conduct this check could help avoid significant financial penalties and being stood down from hiring migrants for a time," he said.
