Immigration Policy amended

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Monday, December 11, 2006

The New Zealand Immigration policy has been amended to give effect to the New Zealand government’s sanctions against Fiji following the coup on 6 December.

Friday, December 08, 2006

The Government of New Zealand has imposed a number of sanctions against Fiji. The Department is taking appropriate actions to support the sanctions.

These sanctions relate to the following:

• Sporting contacts with Fiji
• Ban on the issue of work visas to Fijian citizens for the purpose of taking up work of a temporary seasonal nature.

For more information please  contact TNC  

 

New Immigration Act

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Tuesday, December 05, 2006

The government has unveiled a package of proposals for a new Immigration Act.

Stricter migrant rules to be unveiled

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December 5, 2006

Tough new immigration laws to be unveiled today will make it easier to expel unwanted overstayers, but the Government claims to have watered down some proposals after concerns were expressed about human rights issues.
 
Immigration Minister David Cunliffe will give details of a review of the Immigration Act, and subsequent Cabinet decisions, this afternoon.
 
Widespread changes have been foreshadowed - including slashing the number of independent immigration appeal authorities from four to just one.
 
This will quash the multiple avenues of appeals now available and shorten the time the process takes.
 
The Residence Review Board, the Removal Review Authority, the Deportation Tribunal and the Refugee Status Appeals Authority are expected to be merged into a single immigration and refugee appeals tribunal.
 
The Government also wants appeals against expulsion on humanitarian grounds by illegal overstayers to be restricted to fewer categories of people. And it wants legislative provisions for excluding non-citizens from entering New Zealand to be broadened and strengthened.
 
Clearer processes, including fewer steps, are also expected around the actual expulsion of overstayers.
 
The Government received nearly 4000 submissions on its discussion document on proposed changes to the act, of which 360 were not form letters. A further 650 people attended public meetings. 

Mr Cunliffe said yesterday: "We have thought very, very carefully about what we've heard from the public and we've made a number of changes to the discussion document, some of them reasonably significant. There were a number of issues raised in the human rights area, there were some health issues raised, and some people felt that perhaps the powers of immigration officers might be going a bit too far. The result was "something of a rebalancing to take account of the concerns that have been raised". He would not give details of those concerns raised or the final shape of the appeals process. 

(Source: NZ Newspapers) 

Among other issues, human rights concerns may have been raised about plans to extend the use of classified information.
 
The discussion document proposed allowing classified information to be used for all forms of immigration decision-making without disclosing it to the applicant.
 
Classified information cannot generally be used, unless it relates to a security risks. Aspects of the act relating to security risks - Part 4A - have been excluded from the review until later. 

The Immigration Minister and Associate Immigration Minister were set to pass a considerable amount of their work to immigration officials under the proposed changes. This would include giving senior officials the power to make exceptions to residence policy - a job normally done by the associate minister. 

The Government was further considering requiring a person to exhaust all avenues of appeal before seeking ministerial intervention. A single document system based around visas will replace the current two-tier visa and permit system, essentially making it easier to use.

Minister confirms one immigration appeals body

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Tuesday December 5, 2006 

The Government has confirmed it will replace the four existing appeal bodies with a single tribunal under changes to immigration law.
 
Immigration Minister David Cunliffe has announced a package of proposals for a new Immigration Act, following a review document that went out for public consultation.
 
Mr Cunliffe said some proposals had been modified to address submitters' concerns over privacy and human rights issues.
 
He said new legislation would be introduced in April 2007.
 
Among the changes were for a single independent appeals tribunal - replacing the existing four appeals bodies - and a single right of appeal to that tribunal.
 
Other Cabinet decisions were around deportation, a simplified visa system and giving the minister the ability to designate to officials decisions on residence approvals.

NZ asylum seekers in jails as well as refugee centre

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Monday December 4, 2006

Refugee claimants seeking asylum in New Zealand are now just as likely to be held in jail as in the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre. The Labour Department confirms that 23 people claiming refugee status were being held in jail on October 17, compared with 22 at the low-security Mangere centre. 

The Labour Department data shows that on October 17: 

* 45 people who had claimed refugee status were being held in custody - 23 in jail and 22 at Mangere. 

* 18 of the 45 were waiting for initial decisions from the department. 

* 11 had been rejected by the department and were waiting for decisions from the Refugee Status Appeals Authority. 

* 13 had lodged at least one appeal to the Associate Immigration Minister, currently Clayton Cosgrove. 

* Five of those held in jail lodged refugee claims only after being served with a removal order, and were detained pending a decision on their claim. 

* Seven had been through all appeals up to the associate minister and had been rejected every time, but required travel documents to leave the country. Five of these were "refusing to co-operate with Department of Labour staff in obtaining a travel document".

(Source: NZ Newspapers) 

Kayaker asked to bring passport

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01 December 2006

A man kayaking from Australia to New Zealand will need his passport handy when he arrives at Milford Sound because immigration authorities will be there to greet him.

Australian kayaker Andrew McAuley, who this weekend will begin his attempt at the first solo kayak crossing of the Tasman Sea, has been approached by New Zealand Customs after he failed to contact the department about his travel plans.

"You know it's a long kayak trip when you need your passport," McAuley said.

McAuley, 39, who plans to end his 1600km trip at Milford Sound, will be met by a Customs officer and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) staff.

Customs southern chief officer Neville Brown said the department had contacted McAuley after learning of his plans.

Brown said people planning to enter New Zealand without going through an official Customs port were required to let Customs know of their arrival. "Because he's coming into Milford, Milford's not a Customs port, so he needs to get permission from us to actually do that," Brown said.

After being contacted by Customs, McAuley had made a request for entry, and Brown said the department would send someone from Invercargill to meet him at Milford. McAuley would need to present his passport.

MAF South Island manager Kevin Kennett said ministry staff would also meet McAuley to check for food and inspect the boat for anything that had become attached to it during the trip.

McAuley said he had planned to get in touch with Customs officials but they had contacted him first and given him approval for the trip.

"They're actually really helpful; really positive about the trip."

The food he was carrying would be freeze-dried and did not pose any risks, he said.

Weather permitting, McAuley will set off from Port Arthur, Tasmania, this weekend.

(Source: NZ Newspapers) 

Situation in Suva

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Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Immigration New Zealand's Suva Branch is currently closed and it is not known when normal services will resume. Only dire emergencies can be catered for at present.

The radio station Legend FM in Fiji will be used to notify the Fiji public when the Suva Branch will re-open.

In the meantime, Immigration New Zealand will endeavour to return passports to applicants in Fiji. People should wait to be contacted by phone on how they can collect their passports.

When you require any assistance, please  contact TNC 

Greek passports

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Friday, November 24, 2006

The Greek authorities have advised that from 1 January 2007, Greek passports issued prior to 1 January 2006 will no longer be considered valid for travel. Greek nationals travelling on these passports may not receive entry to New Zealand and may have difficulties travelling to other countries.

Amendments to the Long Term Skills Shortage List

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Friday, November 24, 2006

Changes to the Long Term Skills Shortage List will come into effect on 4 December 2006.

For further and more detailed information please  contact TNC 

Entry to NZ may be in jeopardy (Tongans)

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Tuesday November 21, 2006
 
Tongan nationals who are convicted because of their involvement in the riots could be jeopardising their entitlement to a New Zealand visa, says the Minister of Immigration.
 
The Tongan Advisory Council this week called for the Government to blacklist those involved in the riots from entering New Zealand.
 
A council spokesman said all those involved in perpetrating, planning or inciting the events should be blacklisted.
 
The burden on New Zealand Tongan families would be increased because of the trouble, he said.
 
A spokesman for David Cunliffe's office said the conviction of Tongan nationals involved in the riots could affect their entitlement to a visa to enter New Zealand.
 
(Source: NZPA)