22/07/08 - Skilled Migrant Category additional selection criteria maintained

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Monday, July 14, 2008

The additional criteria for selecting Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from the Skilled Migrant Category Pool (the Pool) for the six months from 1 August 2008 have been set. The criteria will remain the same as in the previous six-month period.

22/07/08 - Changes to the skill shortage lists

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The Immediate Skill Shortage List (ISSL) and the Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) have been amended. The changes will take effect on 28 July 2008.

Occupation titles have been amended to align them with the Australian New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations. Other changes to the LTSSL and ISSL resulting from the July 2008 review are noted below.

Changes to LTSSL

The qualification requirement for "Electrical Engineering Technician" has been amended from “Bachelors degree in Engineering AND three years relevant experience” to “Bachelors degree in Engineering (Level 7) majoring in electrical engineering AND three years relevant experience.”

Changes to ISSL

Five occupations have been added to the Immediate Skill Shortage List.  These are:

* Medical Laboratory Technician (Phlebotomy Technician and Histology Technician) (311213)
* Flying Instructor (Glider Pilot Instructor) (23113)
* Motorcycle Mechanics (321213)
* Anaesthetic Technicians (311211)
* Printing Machinist (Die Maker) (392311)

Two occupations (Apiarist and Baker) had their regional coverage extended to nationwide, and the occupation previously classified as "Hospitality Supervisor (141999)" has been reclassified as "Café or Restaurant Manager (including Bar Manager) (141111).

Updated 15 July

The change to the LTSSL that was previously announced regarding the extra requirement for University Lecturers will not take effect on 28 July 2008. The LTSSL requirement for this occupation will continue to be a Masters degree or PhD.

22/07/08 - New Zealand Residence Programme for 2008/2009

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Wednesday, July 09, 2008

The number of places available to migrants under the New Zealand Residence Programme (NZRP) is reviewed by Cabinet each year. During the 2008/09 financial year the NZRP will be set at 45,000-50,000 places – the same level as last year.

Some 60% of the places available within the NZRP will be filled by skilled and business migrants, 30% will be used to reunite families applying through family categories and 10% will be used for humanitarian purposes and international commitments.

The number of places decided by the Government balances the needs of the labour market, New Zealand's ability to accept new migrants, and our international obligations.

The NZRP makes an important contribution to the skills New Zealand has in its workforce, leading to the growth of the economy. The programme is set in a way that is complementary to New Zealand’s temporary immigration policies and wider training and productivity initiatives.

22/07/08 - New Essential Skills work policy for overseas workers

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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

The Government is introducing a new temporary work policy for overseas workers to protect lower-skilled local workers and encourage the recruitment of high-skilled overseas workers. The new Essential Skills policy will replace the current General work policy from 28 July 2008, and will see applications for work permits in lower-skilled and higher-skilled occupations treated differently.

One of the key changes in the new policy is that Essential Skills will differentiate between occupations on the basis of their skill level.

Many of the principles of General work policy have been carried over to the Essential Skills policy, most importantly:
* the requirement that there must be no New Zealand workers available before an employer is allowed to recruit an overseas worker; and
* the requirement that the terms and conditions of the employment, including the pay, meet those of the New Zealand market.

Where an occupation is included in the Long Term Skill Shortage List or the Immediate Skill Shortage List, INZ will accept there is a shortage of New Zealand workers. In all other cases, employers must demonstrate they have made genuine attempts to recruit a New Zealander.

How will skill level be determined?

Skill level is primarily determined by the occupation’s placement on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), an independent list of occupations compiled by Statistics New Zealand and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Skill level one occupations are the highest skilled and skill level five occupations are the lowest skilled. The ANZSCO can be accessed at www.immigration.govt.nz/anzsco.

What skill level specific measures are being introduced?

There are two provisions under Essential Skills work policy which relate to specific skill levels, one for highly skilled workers and one for lower skilled workers.

Highly Skilled

Overseas workers applying for a visa or permit on the basis of an offer of employment for a skill level one occupation can now apply for a five year permit, provided their base salary will be above $55,000. Each person can only obtain one five year permit (but can apply for further permits to extend their stay, with those further permits granted for a maximum of three years each, providing that the need for the worker still exists).

Lower Skilled

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will now seek advice from Work and Income with every application for a visa or permit for lower skilled workers (ANZSCO skill levels four and five) to find if there are unemployed New Zealanders available to take up the work. The only exception to this is where Work and Income has informed INZ of a regional labour shortage for a particular occupation or industry.

09/07/08 - Changes to the skill shortage lists

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Wednesday, 9 July 2008

The Immediate Skill Shortage List and the Long Term Skill Shortage List have been amended. The changes will take effect on 28 July 2008.

08/07/08 - Nelson removed

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Monday, 23 June 2008

Nelson has been removed from the list of regions with a current seasonal labour shortage, effective 1 July 2008.

20/05/08 - Change to minimum salary allowed for applicants under Talent (Accredited Employers) Work

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Friday, 9 May 2008

This is relevant for Accredited Employers and applicants under the Talent Work Policy

As from 28 July 2008, the minimum allowable salary for applicants under the Talent (Accredited Employers) Work Policy will be NZ$55,000 per annum.

20/05/08 - Auditor General Inquiry into Immigration Service

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19 May 2008

Prime Minister Helen Clark and Immigration Minister Clayton Cosgrove said today that the Government has invited the Auditor General to undertake an inquiry into the Immigration Service.

They said that events have come to light in recent days and weeks which give the Cabinet real concern about the integrity of systems within the New Zealand Immigration Service.“These issues need to be fully examined – and this examination needs to be undertaken by an entirely independent party.

“Accordingly the Government has decided to invite the Auditor General to undertake an inquiry into the integrity of decision making processes in the Immigration Service at the Department of Labour, with a particular focus on the Pacific Division.

“Mr Brady has indicated he is happy to undertake this inquiry and will be giving urgent thought to appropriate terms of reference.“

The Auditor General can require production of documents and information and can examine witnesses on oath. “My expectation is that his inquiry will cover the actions of senior management in the Department of Labour and the Immigration Service and will include interactions between the Department of Labour and the State Services Commission.“

The Auditor General will, however, set his own terms of reference.“Our preference is for the Auditor General to commence and complete this review as soon as he can.“It is important that the Immigration Service, and in particular the Pacific Division, can move on from the current uncertainty as soon as possible. Our judgment is that this can most effectively be done by way of an independent inquiry.“

Any individuals who have information which may reflect on the integrity of decision making processes in the Immigration Service are encouraged to raise any specific concerns with the Auditor General,” Helen Clark and Clayton Cosgrove said.

Other Matters

Three other inquiries or reviews are currently underway:

• The Police are investigating matters concerning representations made by Mary Anne Thompson about her qualifications that will continue independently of the Auditor General’s Inquiry.
• I expect the SSC Inquiry into the Department of Labour’s handling of the Oughton Review will be concluded in the next few weeks and will be available to the Auditor General.
• The Chief Executive of the Department of Labour will consider the implications of the Auditor General review for the recently announced review of the Pacific Division.

(Source NZ Herald)

20/05/08 - Great Kiwi flight to Australia continues

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Tuesday May 20, 2008

New migration stats released this morning show no sign of the Kiwi flight to Australia easing.

Statistics New Zealand said that the number of permanent and long term arrivals to New Zealand exceeded departures by just 400 in April.

The net outflow of people to Australia was 30,600 for the year ended April, the highest since 31,000 left in the 12 months to June 2001.

Annual net migration in the year ended April 2008 was 4,700, unchanged from the month before, but less than half the inflow recorded in the previous April year.

Net migrant inflows were recorded for other countries, with 7,100 coming from the UK, 4,200 from India, 3,300 from the Philippines. South Africa contributed another 2,300 immigrants.

A yearly net inflow of 4,700 migrants compares poorly with previous years, where the averages were:

* 9,744 in 2007
* 11,407 in 2006
* 12, 808 in 2005
* 33,326 in 2004


ASB Bank economists yesterday said the expected migration slow down since the start of last year largely reflected the higher number of New Zealanders leaving the country, particularly to Australia, set against a "plateau" in the number of arrivals.

These trends are expected to continue throughout this year and into next. The Reserve Bank expects immigration to stay below 6,000 a year until the second half of 2009.

ASB said that this environment of low net immigration "continues to underpin supply-side labour shortages in the NZ economy".

Our unemployment rate, 3.6 per cent, has eased slightly in the first quarter of this year, but is only just off its record low 3.4 per cent.

These numbers do not include recent high profile mass lay-offs, such as the meat works in Dannevirke and Dunedin, or the marine processing works in Nelson.

(Source NZ Herald)

14/05/08 - Claire Trevett: Visa chief's resignation raises questions

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Wednesday May 14, 2008

It is somewhat ironic that the safe pair of hands called in to head the Immigration Service because of her record in dealing with politically loaded matters ended up hoist by her own petard.

Yet yesterday Mary Anne Thompson resigned from her job within the Department of Labour after media coverage over help she gave to relatives to get NZ residency.

And late last night, Prime Minister Helen Clark said the State Services Commission was referring aspects of the case to the police.

In an internal email advising staff of the resignation, Labour Department chief Chris Blake said that while it brought "a degree of closure" to the matter, he didn't expect it to end there.

"I expect public scrutiny will continue around this and wider organisational issues," he said.

He was right. Dr Thompson's departure - effective immediately with three months' salary - may stem the whispers around immigration office water coolers.

But it does not address why the Labour Department initially insisted everything had been dealt with and all was hunky dory despite the wider concerns raised in a report by former Secretary for Justice David Oughton about immigration staff ordering policy overrides in other cases.

Those matters - and whether Dr Thompson had overstepped the grey line of conflicts of interest - remain to be answered in the State Services Commission report under way.

Dr Thompson's resignation makes life easier both for the department and the Government, whose Immigration Minister, Clayton Cosgrove, has so far been clinging to the State Sector Act like a baby to a blanket.

That act requires ministers to keep out of employment issues and leave them to the chief executive. This has gone beyond an employment issue.

As well as wider concerns about whether the department treated the situation properly, there is another issue that is a matter for the minister, and that is the question of the residency permits themselves.

As they stand, the permits held by Dr Thompson's relatives from Kiribati appear to be in some kind of legal limbo land. They also remain vastly unfair to others who were equally deserving, but whose aunts' names don't have the same clout.
They were pushed through by a senior manager who did not have the power to do so and subsequently allowed to stand by the Labour Department. This is not the department's prerogative.

Under the Immigration Act only the Immigration Minister can grant residency to people who do not meet normal policies. At some point, the minister is surely going to have to look at those residency permits.

Whatever the facts, it was clear that it was untenable for Dr Thompson to keep her job. Hers was the face that fronted high-profile immigration decisions - including the refusal to give entry to Samoan Baby Miracle.

Her background in the Treasury, as an adviser to Winston Peters in the 1990s, and in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet had put her in senior roles.

As one observer noted, anyone who had dealt with Peters before should be able to spot a politically loaded situation from a mile off. Her resignation is a belated sign that she still can.

(Source NZ Herald Claire Trevett)