As the recession deepens, migrant workers say they are ending up destitute on the streets or are forced to leave the country.
Scottish man Colin Kemp was welcomed in New Zealand 18 months ago when his skills were in high demand as an aluminium joiner and solid plasterer. His work permit lasted for two years but he was made redundant after eight months in the job.
He told Immigration New Zealand and they said he had two or three months to find a new job, but when he rang back three weeks ago he received a shock.
"They told me I should have been out of the country in March when the permit had run out when I finished work," Mr Kemp says. "When I wasn't working I became illegal."
Like many migrants who've lost their job, the Kemps have been living on borrowed money ever since.
Migrants on temporary visas do not get the unemployment benefit and the Kemps now have no money to return to Glasgow where Colin's father is dying.
Migrant Support's Mike Bell says because migrants can't work while waiting for a permit, their money often runs out.
"You used to get a skilled permit put through in an hour and now we're seeing up to 72 days," Mr Bell says.
A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman said he wouldn't be interviewed because it is not a policy but an operational matter.
And for the Kemps, it is now a matter of saying goodbye to a country they've grown to love.
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