Migrant workers and their supporters say Government measures intended to prevent exploitation are having the opposite effect.
They're calling for the Accredited Employer Work Visa to be scrapped and to stop dodgy employers and their offshore sidekicks from making false promises of residency, which is resulting in more overstayers.
Workers who are too often invisible are determined to be seen and heard.
"The reason these migrants are here is they've just had enough of the exploitation the system is allowing," Sher Singh from the Migrant Rights Network told Newshub.
One man, who Newshub has agreed not to name because he is illegally overstaying, was told by an immigration agent back in Gujarat, India, that he could work in New Zealand as a qualified electrical engineer, even though he barely speaks English.
"He was made assurances back home that because of his qualifications, he could come into New Zealand and he would find it easy to settle because there was a shortage at that time," Singh said.
He told Newshub becoming an illegal overstayer was never his intention and is now picking kiwifruit.
He told Newshub he's "very sad" but has "no other option".
They say the Government's solution to migrant worker exploitation, the Accredited Employer Work Visa introduced last year, is itself being exploited.
"For example, labour-hire companies, they are bringing in hundreds of workers and quite often the job is fake, it doesn't exist, so once the workers arrive they have nowhere to go," Anu Kaloti from the Migrant Workers Association told Newshub.
Immigration Minister Andrew Little told Newshub it will be hard to get rid of exploitation completely.
"I'm satisfied the regime we've got in place is providing the best possible protection," he said.
"Unfortunately, we won't eliminate every act of exploitation by a bad employer."
Protesters gathered on the streets of Auckland on Saturday and they're the voice of the migrant work community. Among them, Asian, Indian and Pasifika - all uniting to say enough is enough.
"The Government needs to make amends and the only way they can do that is an amnesty or a pathway to residency for our vulnerable overstayers," Manase Lua from the Aotearoa Tongan Response Group said.
"We've got a tight labour market, they're here, they can do the work."
Little told Newshub he's considering whether the Government should consider an amnesty at some point soon.
"We're sick of being a political football for National, for Labour for anybody," Lua said.
Fearing that as election season approaches, the chances of action dwindles.
