New Zealand restricts visa rules due to “unsustainable” migration levels

Asia Bown
·2 min read
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FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2011, file photo, a general view of Christchurch's central business district is seen in New Zealand. The country's government has tightened visa rules due to "unsustainable" migration to the country. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2011, file photo, a general view of Christchurch's central business district is seen in New Zealand. The country's government has tightened visa rules due to "unsustainable" migration to the country. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File) | Mark Baker

New Zealand’s Minister of Immigration, Erica Stanford, announced in a press release on Sunday changes to the country’s visa rules in an effort to address “unsustainable” levels of migration. Numbers for 2023 migration hit a near-record 173,000 non-New Zealand citizens, she said.

“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,” Stanford revealed in the release.

The changes she announced will affect the Accredited Employer Worker Visa (AEWV) scheme. The AEWV visa is the country’s primary temporary work visa. According to The Guardian, it was created in 2022 to address post-pandemic shortages.

What will New Zealand’s visa application entail?

It will include a new English language requirement for low-skilled jobs, a minimum standard of previous work experience and a shorter maximum continuous stay allowance reduced to three years from five. The English language requirement serves to make migrants “better able to understand their rights or raise concerns about an employer early,” according to the release.

“Many of these are not new, but rather a return to pre-pandemic settings that better balanced the needs of business with the wider interests of New Zealand,” Stanford said of the changes.

When do New Zealand’s new visa rules go into effect?

Instatement of the new rules will be immediate, per the press release.

“These changes are the start of a more comprehensive work programme to create a smarter immigration system that manages net migration, responds to our changing economic context, attracts top talent, revitalises international education, is self-funding and sustainable, and better manages risk,” Stanford explained.

According to Stanford, plans to add 11 new roles to the Green List, which tracks skilled labor gaps in New Zealand, have been scrapped. Employers will be required to make sure applicants meet the criteria and are not hired over New Zealand workers, CNN reported.