Issues around Australia’s immigration laws regarding the cancellation of visas on character grounds under section 501 of the Migration Act are expected to be raised by NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern when she meets with Prime Minister Scott Morrison today. “We have seen cases where there is also almost no connection of an individual to New Zealand who have been deported,” Ardern said after meeting Prime Minister Scott Morrison last year.
There has been an exponential increase in New Zealanders being removed from Australia since 2014 when changes were made to section 501. This amounted to 435 people in the financial year 2018/2019. Permanent residents who have their visas cancelled are being sent back to New Zealand regardless of whether they have any connection to New Zealand.
