The so-called amnesty for foreign students who dob in exploitative employers is a cover-up for a Labour Inspectorate that is failing to do its job, says New Zealand First Leader and Northland Member of Parliament Rt Hon Winston Peters.

'There is so much evidence that foreign students are being taken advantage of by crooked employers.

'It's the government's job to find and charge corrupt employers who are charging foreign students for jobs and paying them a few dollars for long hours and miserable work conditions.

'For example, we have been told of a young woman who was asked to pay $30,000 to a café owner in Auckland to secure a low-paid job, which she needed to pay her living costs with.

'Unscrupulous employers took advantage of the government's decision two years ago to extend the work rights of foreign students. This enabled many to borrow to come to New Zealand knowing they would be able to work to pay back loans.

'Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse's sudden announcement of an amnesty is nothing more than a smokescreen to obscure a severely under-resourced and inadequate Labour Inspectorate.

'In the entire country there are only 54 Labour Inspectorate officers while thousands of international students are being ripped off.

'These students are stressed out, carrying heavy debts and scared stiff about the consequences of dobbing in an employer in a country they are not familiar

'It's the job of the Labour Inspectorate to weed out the crooked employers; they have the powers to do it but are failing because they don't have enough staff or resources.

'The minister's amnesty is lightweight – it only means the victims will not face criminal charges or sanctions, but it does not mean they can keep their visas.

'Under these circumstances, it will be surprising if a single student would bother with the minister's pathetic amnesty,” Mr Peters says.

SOURCE: Office of Winston Peters