100 signatures reached
To: Hon. Michael Woodhouse, Immigration Minister
Send an email to ask for humanitarian intervention on behalf of Indian students facing deportation
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Send an email to the Minister asking for his humanitarian intervention on behalf of Indian students facing deportation.
This petition is on behalf of:
Migrant Workers Association
Auckland Unitarian Church
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Unite Union
This petition is on behalf of:
Migrant Workers Association
Auckland Unitarian Church
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Unite Union
Why is this important?
Innocent international students have been caught in an education visa scam and could be forcibly deported at any time. These students paid for and were promised education here in New Zealand but are now being threatened with deportation because of the dishonest actions of their agents.
They have done nothing wrong, but could have their futures ruined if the deportations are not cancelled. After numerous fruitless appeals to Immigration New Zealand, the students have taken sanctuary in the Auckland Unitarian Church in Ponsonby.
The taking of sanctuary is symbolic - immigration officials can enter the church at any time to remove the students.
The students are among almost 400 Indian students whose visas were cancelled last year after Immigration NZ found that education agents in India had submitted fraudulent bank loan approval documents to show that the students could pay their tuition fees. Of those many never made it to NZ but others arrived. The students paid big fees to the agents and to the NZ institutions where they studied.
Migrant Workers Association, Auckland Unitarian Church, New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and the Unite Union are asking New Zealanders to support the students on compassionate grounds and ask the Minister to intervene.
"The students were scapegoats for a much bigger problem. We're making a lot of money in New Zealand by selling, in many cases, sub-standard education to international students around the world. New Zealand advertised in India 'what a wonderful place it is to come and study', we've offered training to these [Indian] immigration agents but we don't monitor them. Hopefully Kiwis will see the injustice here and speak out" - Reverend Clay Nelson.
Donations of food are most appreciated to the Unitarian Church, 1a Ponsonby Rd.
Attend a rally of support at 3.00pm, Saturday 11 February at the Unitarian Church, 1a Ponsonby Rd.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1921844021368623/
Media links:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/323938/indian-students-victims-of-injustice-church-minister
http://i.stuff.co.nz/auckland/89114559/indian-couple-were-paying-price-for-inept-immigration-new-zealand
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/simon-collins/news/article.cfm?a_id=135&objectid=11795226
They have done nothing wrong, but could have their futures ruined if the deportations are not cancelled. After numerous fruitless appeals to Immigration New Zealand, the students have taken sanctuary in the Auckland Unitarian Church in Ponsonby.
The taking of sanctuary is symbolic - immigration officials can enter the church at any time to remove the students.
The students are among almost 400 Indian students whose visas were cancelled last year after Immigration NZ found that education agents in India had submitted fraudulent bank loan approval documents to show that the students could pay their tuition fees. Of those many never made it to NZ but others arrived. The students paid big fees to the agents and to the NZ institutions where they studied.
Migrant Workers Association, Auckland Unitarian Church, New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and the Unite Union are asking New Zealanders to support the students on compassionate grounds and ask the Minister to intervene.
"The students were scapegoats for a much bigger problem. We're making a lot of money in New Zealand by selling, in many cases, sub-standard education to international students around the world. New Zealand advertised in India 'what a wonderful place it is to come and study', we've offered training to these [Indian] immigration agents but we don't monitor them. Hopefully Kiwis will see the injustice here and speak out" - Reverend Clay Nelson.
Donations of food are most appreciated to the Unitarian Church, 1a Ponsonby Rd.
Attend a rally of support at 3.00pm, Saturday 11 February at the Unitarian Church, 1a Ponsonby Rd.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1921844021368623/
Media links:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/323938/indian-students-victims-of-injustice-church-minister
http://i.stuff.co.nz/auckland/89114559/indian-couple-were-paying-price-for-inept-immigration-new-zealand
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/simon-collins/news/article.cfm?a_id=135&objectid=11795226
How it will be delivered
Personal emails to the Minister.