Twenty-one prostitutes have been found working illegally in Auckland brothels raided by Immigration NZ officials since the Rugby World Cup. At one Auckland brothel, Emily's 8, four prostitutes were found to be working illegally. They included one Malaysian who was on a student visa. The Herald understands another Auckland brothel, which last year withheld the passport of a Malaysian sex worker, was also raided.
Last June, a year-old Vietnamese on a student visa to study English was found working as a prostitute there. The 21 prostitutes found to be without valid visas included 10 from Hong Kong, seven from China, and others from Korea, Malaysia, India and Fiji. Two women have voluntarily left New Zealand and others had been served deportation liability notices. Immigration said at least one illegal sex worker had made a new application, and the agency had yet to make a decision on it.
Although prostitution has been decriminalised in New Zealand, it is illegal for people on temporary visas, such as visitors and students, to work in the sex industry. Under the Prostitution Act , only NZ citizens and people with residency can work in the industry.
A staff member at Emilys 8 said the agency also took away the manager's cellphone and another belonging to a sex worker during the raid. She said police had continued to visit the brothel regularly, and that was "badly affecting the business". Brothel operators said they were aware of the immigration and prostitution law, but it was nearly impossible to check the immigration status of all women who applied for jobs.
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