The Government is taking action following a NZ Herald investigation, promising improvement to immigration's standards for those convicted of a criminal offence.

The Herald revealed today that a man who had emigrated to New Zealand had twice been convicted of sex offending since his arrival in 2012, but wouldn’t be deported is his record stayed clean for the next five years.

Sultan Ali Abdul Ali Akbari arrived from Afghanistan in early 2012, and has since sexually assaulted three victims, including two young girls.

Immigration Minister Woodhouse did not comment when first approached by the Herald.

But now he said he would take steps to improve the decision making authority for cases involving residence class visa holders convicted of a criminal offence.
“I have made my expectations very clear when it comes to deportation decisions involving offending of this nature and those expectations are not being met.

“So I am temporarily suspending Immigration NZ’s decision making authority until I have confidence that the decisions being made are consistent with my expectations.

“This course of action follows today’s New Zealand Herald article regarding an individual whose liability for deportation was suspended, despite the severity of the offending.”

Woodhouse said he would likely return the decision making authority to Immigration NZ within a fortnight, as long as he could be assured the process would align with his expectations.