Convicted fraudster given refugee status again

12:36 pm on 3 November 2015

An Iranian woman who lied in her refugee application and was convicted of fraud has been given refugee status a second time.

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The woman would suffer harm if she returned to Iran, the tribunal has found. Photo: 123rf.com

The immigration and protection tribunal has quashed a deportation notice and made her a New Zealand resident.

The 25-year-old woman was convicted of five counts of fraud for using a false passport and successfully applying for asylum under a false name.

The tribunal said she continued to lie about things that happened to her in Iran.

But it said the woman - who was a member of the Ismaili minority - would suffer harm if she returned to Iran, given her opposition to the country's restrictions on women's rights.