UPDATED: 10.55AM The Ministry of Immigration is under fire for the way it's said to be sharing information about refugees.

Papers obtained under the Official Information Act show the Refugee Council's raised direct concerns with the Minister of Immigration about the way the Refugee Status Branch (RSB) has been sharing information relating to refugee claims.

The Refugee Council said the ministry's RSB Branch is breaching confidentiality, which is endangering lives because information's getting back to refugees' countries of origin and putting their families' lives at risk.

Human Rights lawyer and former UN prosecutor Golriz Ghahramah told Rachel Smalley that could include people like a gay partner or others involved in political activism who are asked to verify information.

LISTEN ABOVE: Golriz Ghahramah talks to Rachel Smalley

"They're placed in danger because the information is being verified with Government authorities."

Ghahramah said there needs to be a more detailed policy on the sharing of information.

"So that it's clear from the start, before people provide information to verify their claim so they know how that information is going to be handled and that's never happened."

Ghahramah said the Supreme Court has said refugee authorities should develop a more detailed framework but that hasn't been put in place.

She said the RSB has also been sharing information with police or Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which can share that information again with Interpol or other governments -- an act that could jeopardise the safety of their relatives in the countries refugees have fled from.

Refugee Council spokesperson Deborah Manning said the issue is equivalent to someone leaving Nazi Germany and coming to New Zealand in 1940.

"And the New Zealand authority saying 'Well, if we want to check back with Nazi Germany, we will decide whether or not it's safe and we will do so without your consent.'"

Amnesty International said it knows at least one case where the family of a refugee applicant has been targeted after officials shared information with a third party.

It's done so applicants can be verified, but Manning told Mike Hosking that's not necessary.

"If someone's got a false story, it's pretty easy to figure that out through a good interview."

Manning said it's important to check facts are correct, but there's no guarantee the home country will tell the truth.

"Why would you go and check with the agent of persecution what they think about the refugee claimant."

Manning said refugees used to be told information they gave was confidential and wouldn't be passed on without their permission, but now they're just told everything is confidential according to New Zealand law.

She said there are a lot of exceptions to this law and refugees are being kept in the dark about what is going on.

"Officials know that if refugees are told about all the ways their confidential information could be shared with others, it makes refugees very frightened," she said.

"I think it's kept deliberately vague so refugees will trust officials and keep giving them information."

Meanwhile, the government's sought assurances on the RSB's process.

Minister of Immigration Michael Woodhouse said the Refugee Council had expressed concern to him that the RSB was seeking information from source countries in breach of UNHCR guidelines.

He said he was concerned at the revelation and checked it with the RSB.

"The information I received indicated that that was not happening. There was one case where the source country had been approached, and that was with the applicant's permission."

He said he was backing the claims of the government agency.

"I'm satisfied on the enquiries that I've made that the Refugee Status Branch balanced the need to get good information to consider the claim with the privacy of the applicant and I've seen nothing to indicate that's being breached."

However, information from Amnesty International is contradicting details given by the immigration minister about the actions of the RSB.

Campaign Director Meg De Ronde said not only is refugee information being shared externally, with agencies and authorities overseas, but also internally with other authorities here in New Zealand.

She said Amnesty knows of at least one case where information was shared outside of Immigration New Zealand to another Government agency.

"And they pass that information on to the country of origin. We know that this resulted in people being targeted in that country and being put in very unsafe situations."

Documents reveal the RSB has been told to develop guidelines that address the need for confidentiality and the requirement to establish refugee claims.