Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi, who was the target of criticism by employers, head-hunters, immigration agents and immigration lawyers for his tight policies is now getting kudos from them, saying that the changes that he has announced are among the biggest in decades and that they will be a huge relief to businesses.
Employers and Manufacturers Association
Employers and Manufacturers Association Chief Executive Brett O’Riley said that the ability of businesses to retain staff and for migrant workers and their families getting certainty of their future are among the most welcome changes.
“News today that around 165,000 workers and their families may now qualify for a one-off resident visa provides both relief and a degree of certainty for New Zealand businesses. Minister Kris Faafoi and Immigration New Zealand (INZ) have copped a fair amount of flak in the past few months, but a response of this magnitude shows that they have listened and responded to the feedback we have been providing,” he said.
Mr O’Riley said that the changes will ease the pressures that businesses have continued to face in sourcing skilled and willing people to fill what EMA has called ‘the skills chasm in New Zealand workplaces,” he said.
Critical Workers Visas
According to him, visas will now be available for those who enter New Zealand as critical workers and their families for roles six months or longer until July 31, 2022, which means that New Zealand again becomes an attractive destination in the face of international competition for skilled workers.
A majority of applications are expected to be granted within a year of the category opening under a streamlined application process that still requires health, police and security criteria to be met and includes an online process opening today, rather than the previous paper-based process.
“We know that INZ has been under the pump, trying to manage the old paper-based processing and we have been assured that, while there will be a focus on processing the applications under the new scheme, processing of other visa applications will continue at a similar rate. Obviously, the new visa scheme will also take applications out of those other categories and hopefully free up some of the log jams and capacity issues elsewhere in the immigration system,” Mr O’Riley said.
Building workforces for the future
He said that Minister Faafoi has made it clear that employers need to look in the future for ways to build their workforces from within New Zealand, attract, train and retain local workers. “We don’t disagree with that goal though that will take time,” he said.
“What was missing was what employers could do in the interim to fill those well-known skills gaps before we can train or retrain local talent. We see opportunities over the next 12-36 months to retrain local workers, young and old, who have been displaced by Covid-19 19 impacts. While this happens, we will have over 100,000 new migrant residents to help address that interim gap, and while the Minister and his team continue to work on the broader long-term immigration reset,” Mr O’Riley said.
Immigration New Zealand will contact visa holders who are eligible to apply from 1 December by the end of October with more information about the application process.
-An eligibility checker is available on INZ’s website.
BusinessNZ: Welcome Relief
BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope said that residency pathways for critical workers and their families recognise the significant contribution international workers have made to New Zealand during the pandemic.
“The critical services that have kept the country going are reliant on international skills and talent. Many of these people have been in challenging circumstances given the uncertainty about whether they would be able to stay in New Zealand, and separation from family overseas. In an environment of major skill shortages across a number of industries and regions, and ongoing pressure at the border, New Zealand cannot afford to lose any more skilled people from the workforce if we want to maintain economic momentum and bounce back from the latest Auckland lockdown,” he said.
Mr Hope said that this will be a welcome relief for employers across the country who have been trying to retain international workers and support them through this challenging environment.
“It is important for New Zealand to signal that we welcome and value those who choose to contribute to New Zealand if we are to remain globally competitive and continue to attract the best international skills and talent, and this is a positive step in that direction
