The New Zealand government wants to stop exploitation. If you tell them what’s happening to you, here’s how they will help you.
We know it can be hard to report your employer, especially if your visa is connected to your employer. However, you must report the exploitation if you want to apply for a Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa. You will also be helping others, because you are probably not the only person your employer is exploiting.
You must report the exploitation if you want to apply for a Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa.
You can make a report of exploitation by filling in the web form here. You can also call the toll-free number on the form and speak to someone at Employment Services. You can ask for an interpreter.
If Employment Services thinks you’re probably being exploited, they will send you a Report of Exploitation. This one-page document does not contain any information about what happened to you. It will just say that you were probably exploited. You can use this document to apply for a Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa.
If you don’t want to make a report, that is okay. You may be able to transfer your work visa to another employer or apply for a completely new visa so you can stay in New Zealand legally.
Once you report exploitation, government officials will look into the allegations. They may decide to ask a Labour Inspector to investigate the claims further. For really serious claims that have good supporting evidence, they may even decide to refer the case to the Investigations team at Immigration NZ. This team will carry out in-depth investigations and interviews and decide whether to lay criminal charges against the employer and company directors.
