An Indian migrant in hiding from Immigration NZ has appealed to the Ombudsman to stop his deportation.

Hamilton forklift driver Jodhbir Singh has been served with a deportation notice because it's claimed he forged his driver licence and then coerced an Indian transport official.

Jodhbir denies the allegations and his agent, former Immigration Minister Tuariki Delamere, has attacked investigators contracted to Immigration NZ as amateur and "woefully inadequate".

While Immigration NZ say Jodhbir's licence is fake, the Indian Government's own national driving licence database suggests it's valid. Because of the fake licence claim, Jodhbir was deemed to fail the 'good character' requirements for keeping his visa.

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As well as the Ombudsman's appeal, Delamere has filed complaints against two Immigration NZ officers and the investigation company, the Dubai-based Data Flow Group.

Delamere says the Ombudsman is Jodhbir's last chance of remaining in New Zealand. Fearing he could be deported without warning, Jodhbir has quit his job and is now staying at a separate address to his wife and nine-year-old son, who live in Hamilton, to avoid immigration officials.

Jodhbir has been in New Zealand since 2009 on an open work visa attached to wife Sawreet's restaurant manager's job. Their son was born here and has only visited India once on holiday.

His woes began in March last year when he applied for a work to residence visa, and attached the Indian licence as part of his paperwork. He held a valid NZ licence and had passed his test here.

Sawreet says Jodhbir withdrew his visa application when relations with his employer Fonterra soured, and he took a new job as a storeman, which didn't qualify him for residency.

However, Immigration NZ still checked out the licence through Data Flow, which provides document verification services. That company reported back saying that it was forged and the department told Jodhbir he had thus failed 'good character' requirements to keep his existing visa and would be deported.

DILEEPA FONSEKA/STUFF Former Minister of Immigration Tuariki Delamere says the investigation was "woefully inadequate".

He appealed, filing a letter from the Amritsar Transport Office saying his licence was legitimate.

Immigration NZ asked Data Flow to make further enquiries. They produced an official called Wassan Singh who said the letter was fake and the national database entry forged by him "under pressure" from Jodhbir. Using this evidence, Immigration NZ again denied the visa. An appeal to the Immigration Protection Tribunal also failed. But Jodhbir's wife and child are eligible to stay until 2020 and she is applying for residency.

"We don't want to go," says Sawreet. "We've lived here for so long and we've got dreams here. It's been such a stressful time and now we just have to see what happens."

TOM LEE/STUFF Jodhbir has lived in New Zealand for a decade and doesn't want to leave.

Delamere said he thought Data Flow's work was well below acceptable standards. Their original report says two staff at the Amritsar Transport office told them Jodhbir's licence was faked but one was merely a stenographer and the other refused to give their position. The company were also refused access to any paperwork and there appeared to be no check of the national Indian database, called SARATHI.

A search of that database shows a valid licence in Jodhbir's name. Immigration say they've raised that with the Indian government.

Delamere said there was no logical reason for Jodhbir to create a fake driving licence, as they were very easy to obtain anyway, and he was able to secure a valid NZ licence himself.

In a brief statement, the Data Flow group said they couldn't "share any information" due to the terms of their contract with Immigration NZ.

Immigration NZ said Data Flow had handled 134 cases for them last year and they were satisfied with their work.

Immigration NZ's assistant general manager Pete Devoy said they were satisfied that the licence was "fraudulently obtained" and the electronic version was "fabricated and influenced by the client". He said the Regional Transport Authority had confirmed the authentication letter was false.

He said Jodhbir was given six weeks to leave voluntarily after he lost at the tribunal, and he had shown them a ticket to leave on December 25 last year. Immigration hadn't heard from the Ombudsman's Office so wouldn't stop deportation proceedings.

"It is now time for Mr Singh to leave New Zealand."