Te Aroha is a center for dairy farming in New Zealand’s Waikato region up north. Image: Google Maps
A Filipina who issued counterfeit visas to Filipino dairy farm workers was sentenced to 11 months and two weeks of house arrest in New Zealand.
Loraine Anne Jayme, 35, a resident of Te Aroha, pleaded guilty to 284 immigration fraud charges after the country’s immigration department unraveled her visa scam back in October 2015, where she forged work experience documents and applications of 17 overseas Filipino workers in exchange for money and work, The New Zealand Herald reported.
Aside from home detention, as per Stuff.co.nz, Loraine was also sentenced to 180 hours of community service.
Loraine, reportedly a dual citizen of the Philippines and New Zealand, charged $2250 (P78,000) for work applications under three fake companies: AJM Farming, Kinvarra Farms and Mathan Farms. Prior to her arrest, employers informed Jayme that the newly-hired Filipino workers lacked enough skills, contrary to what was stated in their resumes.
“You have been involved in the A to Z in committing fraud to ensure that the temporary work visas were issued to 17 migrant workers from New Zealand,” Judge Kim Saunders said. In contrast, Jayme’s lawyer Roger Laybourn painted a positive picture of his client, who was well-respected by the Filipino community for her “generous acts.”
Originally, Loraine was about to receive a two-year prison sentence in October 2016 but was overturned due to her delicate health and the recent birth of her baby. In December, she gave birth to her daughter Karys, two months before the due date. As a result, Jayme was confined for two months at Waikato Hospital’s intensive care unit.
“We are definitely happy,” Loraine’s husband Vincent told The New Zealand Herald. “That’s the main thing. It’s all about the kids, it’s not about us, it’s not about Loraine. It’s always about Karys.”
According to New Zealand’s national television broadcaster TVNZ, there are 38,000 Filipinos working at dairy farms in New Zealand, 2,000 of which are under temporary visas. Gianna Francesca Catolico/JB