A Fijian man who made up a story about his family being massacred to claim refugee status has been jailed.

Photo: SunLive

Satya Nand pleaded guilty to using false documents when he appeared at the Tauranga District Court and he's been sent to jail for almost two-and-a-half years.

He created a new identity and a refugee story between his arrival on a visitor visa in 1996 and 1998, the court heard.

He claimed he was born in India and went to Bangladesh, where his family were killed.

Immigration NZ assistant general manager Peter Devoy said the entire story was fabricated.