Immigration NZ officers will be given the power to request identification from individuals suspected of overstaying visas during compliance operations in homes and workplaces under legislation due to be introduced to Parliament next month.
The proposal, part of immigration enforcement changes announced in September, aims to close a compliance gap by allowing officers to seek identity information when they have reasonable suspicion a person is breaching visa conditions, including when additional individuals are encountered during operations.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said the change is narrowly focused, does not introduce random street checks or general stopping powers, and is intended to strengthen deportation enforcement, with the government aiming to pass the law before the end of the current parliamentary term.
Speaking to state media, Stanford said, “”We have a big overstayer problem, tens of thousands more than we suspected, and we have to arm [immigration officers] with the tools to be able to request information from people when they have a reasonable suspicion that they are in breach of their visa conditions.”
Why wasn’t this power always available to immigration officers? It seems common sense to me.
a start
Let’s just make sure they qualify reasonable suspicion as you know they will try and abuse it.