The Minister for Internal Affairs in Vanuatu, Andrew Napuat, is defending what he calls his immigration step up.

He denies that it's a smokescreen designed to draw attention away from the visa wrangle involving the former media director at the Daily Post newspaper, Dan McGarry.

Mr McGarry, who remains in Brisbane, is cut off from his family in Vanuatu, and barred from re-entering the country after his work permit expired.

Mr Napuat claims Mr McGarry had a sixty day window to renew his permit but failed to do so, and was then fined on the spot for working illegally two weeks after his permit expired.

But even in his absence, the minister says Mr McGarry's case is under review

Meanwhile the step up has been condemned by members of the local business community, who say it will deter investors and damage Vanuatu's standing on the world stage.

Some claim the government is in favour of racially profiling new arrivals, while even minor visa breaches will be cracked down on hard.

But Minister Napuat insists the policy is no different to that of other countries in the region.

"We share information with Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, all the borders in the region and it's nothing so strange that the only country doing that is Vanuatu."

"We keep information about different passengers coming to our borders, to help us monitor different people who have bad intentions, and hurting our borders in our region," Mr Napuat said.

----From ABC News

https://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/programs/pacificbeat/vanuatu-step-up/11723954