Rather fail with honour than succeed by fraud.

- Sophocles
 

Migration Consultants' Chairman Barred

by Denise McNabb in Auckland

The Association for Migration and Investment's board has passed a motion of no confidence in its chairman, David Besley, after he made public comments that the board considered to be in conflict with its stance.  But because Mr Besley is an elected officer he cannot be tossed out of the job till the next elections, in August.

In the meantime, the board has barred him from speaking as an association representative and he has been removed from the consultation and legislation committee and any other committee position where he might be able to speak on behalf of the board.  Mr Besley, who has spoken out on schemes that rip off would-be migrants, reportedly said in January that a group of mainly Auckland consultants opposed registration so they could maintain an "exclusive club" where they received concessions from the Immigration Service.

Registration would help protect vulnerable people who put their future in the hands of immigration consultants, he said.  He believed the stance of the small group was short-sighted, and motivated by short-term profits.  The association has 80 members.

His comments coincided with Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel's confirming she would receive an official paper on the issue of registration for migration consultants, followed by industry consultation. 

The association says in its latest newsletter that the 6-to-4 vote of no confidence in Mr Besley follows other conflicts apart from Mr Besley's comments in January that "portrayed members in a manner that was detrimental and damaging to their good standing".  It says Mr Besley refused to allow publication of a letter from vice-chairman lain MacLeod that said the association was neither for nor against registration.  But it says that members had passed a resolution at its previous annual meeting making it clear that they were not convinced "the problems of unethical and unscrupulous behaviour by some consultants" would be solved by having a register of consultants.

The board also said Mr Besley wrote a memo to members on December 15 that expressed a private opinion that was in conflict with expressed resolutions of the board, yet it was on a letterhead over his title as chairman, thereby suggesting board approval.

Mr Besley was sticking to his guns yesterday.

"If these people [the board] are given enough rope they will hang themselves," he said.  Registration would prevent the operators on the periphery of the industry from ripping off people.  He said there were 5 or 6 people "who wanted to have an arrangement to suit themselves".

"A survey by Otago University showed that nearly 70% of consultants wanted some sort of regulation.  The Commerce Commission told us last year not to make our rules for membership such that it was an exclusive club."  Mr Besley said he and some of the members had discussed forming a breakaway group but he did not believe that was the answer.  There needed to be solidarity.  "What we really need to do is sit back and wait for the minister to come to us and say what she plans to do.  We have to at least be seen to be useful to the new minister."

Mr Besley said there were some members who believed registration would put up costs and add more bureaucracy.

Source: The Dominion Saturday 11 March 2000

Note the words: "Registration would prevent the operators on the periphery of the industry from ripping off people."

See also:

	Hidden Costs of Migrating - "I think the NZ government has been less than benevolent in requiring an investment in a qualifying trust, then not overseeing the program at all.  (Presumably that was the function of trustees.)  Immigrants are hardly able to perform adequate due diligence — at least for the first couple of years (exactly the period of investment required)..."
	Migrants Face Ruin - The Lins were told they would be able to claim their money back within two years and their annual return would yield up to 8.55%.  "Now it seems we just paid half a million for residency status," she said.  "That's a little bit too much."  Now, to make ends meet, Mrs Lin works as a textile worker - a far cry from the quality control supervisory role she had back home...

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