In a move that could easily be termed as the first litmus test of the new Labour-led government, Union supported groups are raising demand for the return of the deported Indian students.
Migrant Worker Association – the group at the forefront of leading several public protests earlier in the year including the one at the Unitary Church in Ponsonby, Auckland, where deported students had sought refuge for some time against executive orders of the then government, is organising a public event on Sunday, October 29, calling upon the new Labour-led government to allow return of those deported students back to NZ.
“Let us unite in solidarity with our unfairly deported students to demand their return to New Zealand,” the Migrant Worker Association said in a press release about the event on Sunday.
At that time the Labour party was fully supportive of those deported students with former Labour Leader Andrew Little, and then Kiwi-Indian List candidate Priyanca Radhakrishnan (now MP) visiting students in Church to offer their solidarity with the students.
The Party had then promised to conduct a full investigation into the unfair deportations when in government.
The Migrant Worker Association is expecting the new government to intervene favourably and immediately, to facilitate a return of those deported Indian students.
The Indian student deportation issue has been at the centre of public attention and the national political scene from mid last year when Immigration New Zealand had issued deportation notices to about 150 odd students on the allegation of producing fraudulent documents at the time of processing of their first visa application back in India.
Immigration Lawyer Alastair McClymont, who has been arguing with the Immigration New Zealand on behalf of many students served with deportation notice is appreciative and hopeful of this demand being made for the return of deported students.
Mr McClymont had then said, “it is far from over.”
He had then filed a complaint to the Ombudsman about how the students' characters were assessed with a specific emphasis on their case that the students were not aware of what their agents submitted on their behalf.
The complaint is still with the Ombudsman and Mr McClymont is confident that an early reminder to the new government is the right thing to do for the best interest of those deported students.
There seems to be an expectation that several MPs of the Labour and Green Party who had previously supported students would be in attendance at the event on Sunday at 3 p.m. as now is the time for action on the promises made to deported students.
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