An Indian couple from Fiji sentenced on immigration charges in the Auckland District Court obtained welfare payments of more than $104,000 following their fraudulent arrival in New Zealand in 1998.
Judge Anne Kiernan sentenced Michael Ambika Prasad, 46, a deliveryman of Mt Wellington, to 18 months' imprisonment on four charges of immigration fraud and two charges of personation of another person to fraudulently obtain a residency permit. She granted Prasad leave to apply for home detention.
Judge Kiernan also sentenced Rashmin Nisha Naidu, 35, to "a substantial term" of 300 hours of community work on one charge of personating another person to an immigration official to fraudulently obtain a residency permit.
The couple, permanent New Zealand residents, had pleaded guilty to the charges. They were arrested after police executed a search warrant on their home in April and found 17 Fijian passports, six Fijian passport forms endorsed with thumbprints and 33 passport photographs.
Judge Kiernan accepted they were remorseful but said the offending threatened the integrity of the New Zealand immigration system and a deterrent was needed for others who wanted to cheat to get into the country.
Herald Feature: Immigration
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