New Zealand will tighten visa rules for some migrants as part of an overhaul of an immigration system that the government says has led to “unsustainable” levels of migration, according to The Guardian.
According to Stats NZ, annual net migration to New Zealand hit a near-record high last year with more than 173,000 non-New Zealand citizens.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford announced on Sunday changes to the accredited employer worker visa (AEWV), the main temporary work visa that was introduced in mid-2022 to help fill labour shortages following the pandemic.
The government’s changes to the scheme will include introducing English language requirements for low-skilled jobs and setting a minimum skills and work experience threshold for most employer work visas. The maximum period of continuous stay for most low-skilled jobs will also be reduced from five to three years.
“The government is focused on attracting and retaining the highly skilled migrants such as secondary teachers, where there is a skill shortage. At the same time we need to ensure that New Zealanders are put to the front of the line for jobs where there are no skills shortages.”
New Zealand, which has a population of about 5.1 million, has seen a rapid increase in migrant numbers since the end of the pandemic, prompting fears of fuelling inflation last year.
Stanford argued that migratory changes would also reduce migrants’ vulnerability to exploitation. In February, the Public Service Commission published its review of the AEWV scheme, which former immigration minister Andrew Little introduced after complaints of exploitation. The Commission found that some “unscrupulous employers” had taken advantage of the scheme and taken payments from people wanting to move to New Zealand.
By having an English-language requirement migrants will be better able to understand their rights or raise concerns about an employer early.
The government has abandoned plans to add 11 new jobs to the Green List, a pool of highly skilled positions that New Zealand is struggling to find. The jobs include welders, fitters, and turners.
Neighbouring Australia, which has also seen a significant increase in migration, has announced it will halve its intake of migrants over the next two years.
