An Indian-origin man has been sentenced in an elaborate immigration fraud in New Zealand.

59-year-old Umesh Patel, an Indian-origin Auckland man, plotted an elaborate immigration fraud scheme which was running for years, duping visa applicants. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) busted the scam and Patel pleaded guilty to 37 charges, including forgery and providing false or misleading information to an immigration officer.

Fake jobs to support visa applications

Patel created fake jobs to support visa applications for which he used to charge NZD $10,000 and NZD $30,000. Some of his businesses were initially legitimate, but then Patel used them to fabricate jobs and submit fraudulent documents to the government. The applicants were instructed to deposit money into company accounts under the guise of business income, which Patel then returned to them as wages, less PAYE deductions, to create the illusion of genuine employment. These falsified transactions were used to mislead INZ and support visa approvals.“This was a calculated and exploitative scheme that undermined the integrity of New Zealand’s immigration system,” said Steve Watson, General Manager of Immigration Compliance and Investigations.

No work, no employment but people obtained residence through scheme

The INZ detailed that there was no real employment but some individuals might have performed some limited work. People even obtained residence through his scheme as they were shown on the paper as directors of the companies. But these individuals had no control over the actual businesses. “This case demonstrates that those who deliberately mislead immigration authorities and exploit the Immigration system for personal gain will be identified and held to account,” Watson said

9 months home detention

Patel appeared un a court for sentencing and was sentenced to nine months’ home detention with 6 months’ post-detention conditions for the following charges: 21 counts of Providing False or Misleading Information to an Immigration Officer under section 342(1)(b) of the Immigration Act 2009, and 16 counts of Forgery under section 256(1) of the Crimes Act 1961.