Three months ago, these six Uzbek migrants were desperate: they had no money, no work, and no food.

Shortly after raising a grievance with their boss, who they said demanded huge premiums for jobs then underpaid them, he liquidated the company, leaving them stranded…

However, their former boss has escaped without punishment - bar a 'warning letter' from Immigration New Zealand (INZ)...

Neither Westwood nor the men have heard from their former employer, Uzbek expat Sherzod ‘Sean’ Nosirov, who owned gibstopping company Zero Max Line. Since Stuff first wrote about the case, Nosirov has posted a video on social media of himself flying a plane, as well as a video of him and the men “acting like everything is fine,” says Westwood...

The dream came with a catch: the men say Nosirov charged ‘bonds’ of about $NZ17,000 and between $4,200 and $5,900 for arranging visas. Charging such premiums is illegal.

When they arrived, the men say they were also made to pay for their own tools, uniforms, vehicles and SiteSafe certificates.

After arrival, the men were presented with letters of variation saying they were only guaranteed 20 hours of work a week - despite visa conditions saying they must have 40 hours of work. The men said pay and hours varied wildly until Nosirov told them they would be paid piece rates of $3.50-4 per square metre of gib they installed. Stuff saw multiple payslips, including one of the men receiving a fortnight’s wage of just $840. Some of the men went home, while others who had paid for visas for their families could not bring them over...

INZ said Nosirov was overseas, and it had revoked Zero Max Line’s accreditation. In a statement, acting national investigations manager James Friend said: “Immigration’s investigation into this employer is now closed, and compliance action involved issuing an employer education letter to the company owner.”...

INZ said it had issued eight MEPVs to former employees of Zero Max Line, all of whom were assisted by Westwood. He said it had actually been easier to find the men jobs than it had been to deal with INZ, despite his professional knowledge of the visa system...