At least nine international students from India are facing imminent deportation from New Zealand after they lost their appeal against the deportation notices by Immigration New Zealand.
Hundreds of Indian students in the country are facing eviction after the immigration department found their India-based education agent supplied fake financial documents to secure visas for them.
The students say they were unaware that the agent, who continues to operate in India and still recruiting students for education providers in New Zealand, was employing fraud means.
Manoj Narra is among the nine who are due to be sent back to India. He told Checkpoint with John Campbell the authorities were "not giving any options".
"It's a very painful situation to me ... not only me. There are so many students."
Many of these students have spent tens of thousands of dollars to undertake education in New Zealand, some even secured loans to raise this money. If returned to India, they face an uncertain future.
The students’ lawyer Alistair McClymont said there was no dispute who was at fault, but rather who would be punished for it, such as Mr Narra.
reports that these students are now about to seek sanctuary at an Auckland church. The unite union supports them.
A spokesperson for students, Joseph Carolan said the students were victims of the immigration machine.
He said the sanctuary would send a message to Prime Minister Bill English, who is Catholic, and would speak to his morality.
Earlier, the Indian students who received deportation notices held several demonstrations to press New Zealand’s Indian-origin politicians to take up the matter of their deportation with the government.
