Migrant Exploitation. Ends Here.
VERI-Mi helps migrant workers understand and defend their employment rights in New Zealand.
Are you being treated badly at work?
Some signs to look out for: Learn more about how we can help you here.
Unfair Pay
- You had to pay your employer to get the job.
- You have to give back part or all of your wages.
- You earn less than the minimum wage or nothing at all.
- You’re not paid for all the hours you work.
Unfair Hours
- Your boss says you worked fewer hours than you did.
- You work long hours with no breaks.
- You’re not paid for annual or public holidays.
Health and safety
- Doors or windows are locked so you can’t leave.
- Your boss threatens you or your family.
- Your boss threatens to cancel your visa.
- Your boss asks for your passport.
- You are required to do tasks that you are not trained in.
- You are bullied, harassed and treated badly at work.
Get Free Help and Support
Victims
Exploitation
Rights
Immigration
Migrants
VERI-Mi stands for "Verification"
With VERI-Mi you can verify your rights, your work hours and wages
Trusted and Independent
VERI-Mi (pronounced Very-Mee) is a registered charitable trust, independent of the government.
Our trustees are experts in migrant exploitation advocacy and research, human rights, and the hospitality sector.
Our Vision
To stop migrant exploitation in New Zealand by empowering workers to stand up for their rights
How will we do this?
Help you understand your rights
Help you collect evidence of employment breaches
Connect you with free legal help
Help you obtain compensation and hold your employer accountable
Our website and app help you to:
01
Understand your rights
This website and the VERI-Mi app provide you with information, tools and resources about your employment and other rights
02
Collect evidence
Know what evidence to collect to support your case. Use the VERI-Mi app to track your workplace location, hours and wages
03
Get free legal help
Talk to a Community Lawyer anywhere in New Zealand
04
Verify your claims and any payments owing to you
Work with your lawyer to assess how strong your case is
05
Know what to expect
Understand the process and your path to justice
06
Feel more in control and confident
We know there is a lot going on, but we are here to help you
Frequently Asked Questions
Migrant exploitation has been defined as “the unjust and often illegal utilisation of migrants for the extraction of profit” (Francis Collins and Christina Stringer Temporary Migrant Worker Exploitation in New Zealand (July 2019).
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment defines migrant exploitation as:
“behaviour that causes, or increases the risk of, material harm to the economic, social, physical or emotional well-being of a migrant worker. This includes breaches of minimum employment standards or breaches of health and safety and immigration laws. This excludes minor and insignificant breaches that are not constant and easily remedied”.
Exploitation of migrants is an offence under s 351 of the Immigration Act 2009.
Migrant exploitation is illegal but still happens in New Zealand. It can involve various breaches of your employment, immigration and human rights, but the most common that we see at Community Law Centres are where migrants:
- Are required to pay a premium for a job
- Have to give back part or all of their wages to their employer
- Are paid too little or nothing at all for their work
- Are not paid for all the hours they work
- Are told by their boss to tell government officials (eg Labour Inspectors) that they have worked less hours than they actually have
- Are made to work an excessive number of hours, with no breaks
- Have no time off from work
- Are not paid for public holidays or annual leave,
- Are treated unfairly and unkindly by their employer or managers, and
- Are not free to leave their workplace (eg because the doors and windows are locked).
Everyone in New Zealand has the right to be treated well at work. Minimum employment standards apply to us all – citizens, residents and migrants, including anyone on a work visa.
More about premiums
A premium is a payment for a job. It is illegal in New Zealand for an employer or their agent to ask for, or to receive, a premium in exchange for giving someone a job, Section 12A, Wages Protection Act 1983.
It may be hard to know the difference between paying a person to apply for your visa, and an illegal payment for a job. A premium will usually be a unreasonable amount of money, and far in excess of an immigration agent’s far. Ask around and see what other agents are changing to apply for a visa.
If your employer, or another person is asking you to pay anywhere around $8,000 – $50,0000 or more to have a job in New Zealand, this is very likely to be an unlawful premium.
If you are asked to pay a premium offshore (ie outside of New Zealand), then it will be almost impossible to recover that money. Employers can be sneaky and ask you to pay the money into their family member’s account. This can make it very difficult to trace back to the employer. Also, the current legal position in New Zealand is that New Zealand courts are unable to order repayment of premiums paid offshore. The employer could of course agree to pay the money back to you, but we do not see that happening very often.
If you are being exploited at work, you are likely to be frightened, stressed, and worried about your safety and immigration status. Exploitation is illegal and you do not have to put up with it.
You can:
- Collect evidence of what is happening
- Have a free meeting with a lawyer at Community Law, who may be able to help you recover any lost wages.
- Report what’s happening to the government, so they can help you apply for a Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa, which will allow you to leave your current job and find another one with a better employer.
It is important to collect evidence of employment breaches, as this can help you change your visa (if your visa is connected to your employer), and also help you recover any money owing to you.
Here are some forms of evidence you can collect:
- Take photos or videos on your phone while you’re at work. Your phone will record the date and time you took each photo or video, which can show that you were at work at certain times (which might be different from the employer’s record).
- Keep your own record of the hours you work every day. An employee’s own record of hours which is taken daily (ie a contemporaneous record) is seen as good evidence of your actual work hours.
- Turn on location services on your mobile phone. This record can also show when you were at work.
- Talk to your phone provider (like Spark or One New Zealand) and ask them to give you the cell tower data for a particular time when you know you were working, but your employer says you weren’t.
- Screenshot messages on WhatsApp, WeChat, or other messaging services that show you are being exploited. For example, if your employer texts you your roster and it’s different from the hours you’re paid for, keep these records. This will show that your employer has not kept accurate records, which they must legally do. If your employer asks you to delete messages from your phone, or if they block your access to messaging platforms, it is very useful to have your own screenshots of these conversations as they can be important evidence.
The VERI-Mi app can help you collect this data.
Keep a Work Diary.
Use the VERI-Mi app to track your work, hours, and pay.
Download our app today!
