The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has recently issued an advisory urging caution against unauthorised nursing recruitment to New Zealand. This warning comes in the wake of increasing cases of nurses, particularly from Kerala, reaching the country on visiting visas to enrol in the Competency Assessment Programme and register with New Zealand’s Nursing Council.

Agents facilitating these migrations have been found to charge exorbitant fees for visiting visas, exploiting job aspirants. Despite completing the formalities, many nurses are also struggling to secure employment in New Zealand, prompting the Ministry to intervene. A formal letter on the matter has been issued to the Resident Commissioners of South Indian states.

The Indian Embassy has also clarified that the nursing staff shortage in New Zealand, which arose during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been largely addressed with the arrival of nurses from India and the Philippines. The Embassy has urged job seekers to avoid falling prey to false promises made by unauthorized agents.

How to identify recruitment fraud
Confirm visa and employer details: Email the required documents to pol.wellington@mea.gov.in for verification.

Check recruitment agency credentials: Visit the emigrate portal at https://emigrate.gov.in to ensure the agency is authorised.

Report fraudulent activity: Email complaints to spnri.pol@kerala.gov.in or dyspnri.pol@kerala.gov.in or call the helpline at 0471-2721547.