20 February 2026
Ben
[FYI request #33132 email]
DOIA-REQ-0024979
Tēnā koe Ben,
I refer to your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) received on 4 December 2025
requesting the following information from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
(MBIE):
1. Is supplying fraudulent documentation in support of a visa application an offence?
If so, what are the possible sanctions that could be faced?
2. Were these (fraudulent) licences supplied to MBIE for the purposes of obtaining
visas or work permits? If so, please describe the number of instances and types of
visas or work permits granted.
3. Have any visas or work permits been terminated as a result of this fraud? If not,
why not?
4. More broadly, how many times in the past six months has MBIE terminated a visa
or work permit as a result of fraudulent documentation having been uncovered?
Our Response
1. Is supplying fraudulent documentation in support of a visa application an offence? If so, what are
the possible sanctions that could be faced?
The information you requested is publicly available on the New Zealand Legislation website:
•
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2009/0051/latest/DLM1441146.html. •
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2009/0051/latest/DLM1441164.html.
Further information about providing false or misleading information with a visa application can also
be found on the Immigration New Zealand (INZ) website:
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/process-to-apply/applying-for-a-visa/providing-evidence-and-
documents-to-support-your-visa-application/giving-false-or-misleading-information-in-your-
application. 2. Were these (fraudulent) licences supplied to MBIE for the purposes of obtaining visas or work
permits? If so, please describe the number of instances and types of visas or work permits granted.
3. Have any visas or work permits been terminated as a result of this fraud? If not, why not?
We will grant these parts of your request. However, it will take us some time to prepare the
information for release. The data you are requesting is dynamic for a number of reasons, including
(but not limited to) visas expiring or being cancelled, and is dependent on information supplied to us
by the New Zealand Transport Agency as it becomes available.
We require more time to validate the data to ensure we provide an accurate representation of the
information you have requested. We will send you the information by Friday 27 February 2026.
4. More broadly, how many times in the past six months has MBIE terminated a visa or work permit
as a result of fraudulent documentation having been uncovered?
This information is not held in a reportable format. Providing this information would require manually
checking more than 400 individual visa cancellations to determine the reason for each cancellation.
The information you requested is therefore refused under section 18(f) of the OIA, as it cannot be
made available without substantial collation or research.
In accordance with section 18A of the Act, I have considered whether fixing a charge under section 15
or extending the time limit under section 15A would enable the request to be granted, but it is my
view that neither would do so.
In accordance with section 18B of the Act, I have considered whether consulting with you would
remove the reason for refusal, but in my view it would not.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information
about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or phone 0800 802
602.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, please contact
[email address]. Nāku noa, nā
Stephen Vaughan
Chief Operating Officer
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
