Auckland (The NZ Today)
An Indian migrant who paid NZ$50,000, or around INR 25 lakh, for a New Zealand job and work visa but was later directed to work as a cleaner instead of the car-grooming role specified on his visa has had his deportation appeal deemed withdrawn after leaving the country.
The case involved Gurgant Singh, a 35-year-old citizen of India who had been in New Zealand for about three years. In its decision dated 17 September 2026, the Immigration and Protection Tribunal recorded that Singh had been a victim of migrant exploitation and had appealed against deportation liability arising from a breach of his Accredited Employer Work Visa conditions.
According to the Tribunal decision, Singh is married and has an eight-year-old son. He travelled to New Zealand in August 2023 on a three-year Accredited Employer Work Visa, while his wife and son remained in India.
The judgment records that Singh’s accredited employer had arranged his employment and work visa for a fee of NZ$50,000, which the decision also records as INR 25 lakh.
His visa allowed him to work as a car groomer. However, after arriving in New Zealand, the Tribunal said Singh was directed by his employer to work as a cleaner at different locations.
The visa issue later came to the attention of Immigration New Zealand.
As per the Tribunal decision, Singh was served with a deportation liability notice on 11 November 2025 after an immigration compliance officer found him working as a cleaner at a location other than that of his accredited employer.
Immigration authorities considered this to be a breach of the conditions attached to his work visa.
Singh subsequently sought what the decision describes as a “good reason review” of the deportation decision. That review was declined on 12 December 2025.
He had meanwhile lodged a humanitarian appeal with the Immigration and Protection Tribunal on 8 December 2025, challenging his liability for deportation.
The Tribunal decision shows that Singh later obtained a Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa, which was valid between June and August 2026.
However, before the Tribunal had completed its assessment of the humanitarian appeal, Singh left New Zealand on 9 August 2026 and remained overseas.
His departure had a direct legal effect on the appeal.
Under section 239 of the Immigration Act 2009, certain deportation appeals are deemed to be withdrawn when the person concerned leaves New Zealand.
The Tribunal said information received from Immigration New Zealand confirmed that Singh departed the country on 9 August. It said there was no need to obtain a separate certificate confirming his departure because the information before it was sufficient to establish that he had left New Zealand.
The decision records that Singh left New Zealand before the Tribunal could complete its assessment of the grounds raised in his appeal and issue a substantive decision.
As a result, the Tribunal did not determine whether the humanitarian circumstances raised by Singh would have been sufficient to prevent his deportation.
Instead, his appeal was deemed withdrawn by operation of the Immigration Act from the date he left New Zealand.
“The appellant has departed New Zealand before the Tribunal could complete its assessment of the grounds of his appeal and release its decision,” the Tribunal recorded.
In its determination, the Tribunal ruled that Singh’s appeal was deemed withdrawn effective from 9 August 2026 and that it therefore no longer had jurisdiction to consider the matter further.
The decision was issued by Tribunal member K Lash on 17 September 2026.
