Camilo Montanez and Jaime Caceres Perez claim they were lured to NZ based on false promises. Photo / Dean Purcell.
Camilo Montanez and Jaime Caceres Perez claim they were lured to NZ based on false promises. Photo / Dean Purcell.
A building construction company employing migrant workers from South America says it is assisting Immigration NZ with an investigation into visa and employment allegations.
The Herald reported on July 3 that about 250 people from South American countries have arrived here since the start of the year on work andvisitor visas, and many are victims of scams promising non-existent jobs or pathways to residency.
Several migrants who are seeking help at El Centro Kiwi NZ and have spoken to the Herald are linked to the construction labour hire company Buildhub.
This company is based in Auckland. It is unrelated to a Southland-based company by the same name which has no connection to the migrant visa allegations.
Mariela Ehijo, the Auckland company’s director and chief operating officer, said Buildhub was in contact with Immigration New Zealand and “is aware of the information they received from former employees”.
INZ said it would neither confirm nor deny Buildhub’s involvement with its investigations and was unable to give any information regarding this employer.
“It is our understanding that INZ has not yet decided to investigate Buildhub, and the risk and compliance case officer directly involved with the enquiry confirmed,” Ehijo said.
The company is an approved accredited employer by INZ as part of its accreditation for a high-volume third-party provider since 2022, she said.
“The company has already contacted INZ and will collaborate with the enquiry at this stage, and we reiterate that it is an enquiry at this stage and not a formal investigation, according to INZ,” Ehijo said.
“Please note that no further comments will be made because this is now an enquiry with INZ, and Buildhub has already made its intention clear to collaborate. All other information is private in nature, and the company has its duty to treat it as such.”
Ehijo said she could not comment on specifics of the complaints nor say how many staff Buildhub had recruited from overseas as this information was “reserved for INZ as part of their enquiry”.
On its website, the company said it has placed more than 200 workers who worked 4800+ hours weekly and had a 95 per cent “reliability rate”.
About 250 from South American countries have been recruited to work in NZ since the start of the year. Photo / Alex Burton
Richard Owen, INZ’s general manager verification and compliance said in general that if it was found that visas were granted based on incorrect information submitted to INZ, the employers risked losing their accreditation.
This meant having their accreditation declined or being prosecuted under the Immigration Act 2009, he said.
In relation to Buildhub, Owen said: “We are unable to give any information regarding this employer, nor will we confirm or deny their involvement of investigations into Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) fraud.”
He said the agency would also not be able to comment any further on any of the investigations it had underway relating to this scheme.
“We have a duty to protect the integrity of our investigations and not jeopardise outcomes,” Owen said.
“We appreciate that these workers are in a difficult situation and strongly encourage them to contact us as soon as possible to discuss their circumstances so we can look into these allegations and take the appropriate action.”
Two of the complainants Colombian Camilo Montañez Giraldo, 46, and Jaime Alberto Caceres Perez, 40, claim that they borrowed close to $11,000 to come to NZ after being promised jobs as construction technicians with a pay rate of $27.76 at Buildhub.
However since Giraldo arrived on March 11, he claimed he had only 12 days of work as a labourer and two days as a drywall technician. For eight days that he worked in Kerikeri, Giraldo claimed he was given just $15 for food.
Perez was offered work two hours away from where he lived despite not having a car and when he refused, he claims that the company sent him a warning letter for non-attendance.
The Herald has been told that several employees who discussed their plight online have been issued a notification of mediation attendance request by Buildhub.
“We have evidence of you breaching your employment agreement in relation to the use of the internet and social media use and disclosure of confidential information about the company and its business,” Ehijo wrote in the letter.
Fernanda Penny, director of El Centro Kiwi NZ, is helping about 20 migrant workers.
She said most have borrowed $10,000 to $15,000 to come based on the promise that they will get high paid jobs here and a pathway to residency.
But she claims that some land here to non-existent jobs and others were offered far fewer working hours than they were promised.
They fear for the safety of their families if they were to speak up against their employers or the agents.
“Also, if they get deported then there is no way they can repay their debt, and that again puts their lives and their families in danger,” Penny said.
Owen said, in his experience, immigration scams were “unfortunately not new”.
“We encourage anyone who [believes they are] a victim of a visa scam or aware of similar offending to report it immediately,” Owen added.
“This can be done via MBIE’s contact centre on 0800 20 90 20. Alternatively, they can be reported to police or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via the online Crimestoppers form.”
Lincoln Tan specialises in covering stories around diversity and immigration. He’s been a journalist at the Herald since 2006.
