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NEWS
A variety of immigration, business and general news articles taken from New Zealand newspapers, websites and other sources (sources are mentioned at the bottom of each article) and selected by Terra Nova Consultancy Ltd. It may assist the reader being more or less up-to-date what is happening in Aotearoa, "the Land of the Long White Cloud". Happy reading, enjoy ... and if you have any questions on these updates - please contact us...
Newest article always on top.
May
11
11/05/07 - Peters names immigration as key driver of inflation
Friday May 11, 2007
Winston Peters says urgent action is needed to get New Zealand's savings rate up.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has pointed the finger of blame at immigration as he calls for big changes to the management of inflation in the economy.
In a stark return to one of New Zealand First's traditional policy planks, Mr Peters yesterday questioned the role that immigrants are playing in interest rate rises.
He called for a substantial rewrite of the Reserve Bank Act, requiring the bank to take into account the interests of exporters and the manufacturing sector when interest rate decisions are made.
Mr Peters said Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard was hamstrung by an act "that is paranoiac about one thing, inflation, to the detriment of other factors which make a sound economy".
"There are other ways of addressing the issue of inflation," he said.
"I mean, is it necessary to bring in 48,000, 50,000 immigrants a year, regardless of their quality, regardless of whether they're aligned to jobs?" he asked reporters shortly after delivering a speech in Wellington.
Immigration was an "important factor" in the debate and people should "not avoid the obvious", Mr Peters said.
Immigration is watched closely by the Reserve Bank, partly because of the effect that migrants can have on the housing market and on the labour market.
Dr Bollard mentioned ongoing net immigration as one of the factors fuelling demand when he raised the official cash rate to 7.75 per cent last month.
Mr Peters told the Wellington branch of the Institute of Financial Planners' Legal and Financial Forum that urgent action was needed to get New Zealand's saving rate up and to get the monetary policy regime changed.
Labelling the country as "enslaved by debt to foreign investors", he said the way that profits disappeared overseas meant New Zealand was working to ensure that Australians, Canadians and Japanese could have a secure retirement.
"In the absence of any large-scale savings regime or any meaningful controls over foreign investment, foreign interests have embarked on a systematic takeover of our economy," Mr Peters said.
The pointed speech came just hours before Economic Development Minister Trevor Mallard was scheduled to give a speech titled "Foreign investment: partnership for mutual benefits" to an audience in Boston.
It also comes as Finance Minister Michael Cullen prepares to deliver his eighth Budget on Thursday, in which it is expected there will be some form of personal tax concession tied to the KiwiSaver retirement scheme.
Mr Peters would not be drawn on the hints he has previously given that something is looming, but he did say KiwiSaver was a "bright, shining beacon" on the horizon that provided the opportunity to go further.
"That's all I'm saying - you'll just have to wait until some time in the future to see what that all means," he said.
Following on from the tax cuts that were in the Australian Budget this week, Dr Cullen was again yesterday forced to defend his not giving New Zealand's personal taxpayers a cut over the past seven years.
The Treasury yesterday unveiled accounts showing that the Government had racked up an operating surplus of $6.012 billion in the nine months to the end of March.
As hinted at by Dr Cullen last week, the Government also had a cash surplus of $2.024 billion, well ahead of the forecast $342 million.
The extra money came from delays in departmental spending and some one-off tax receipts that were not forecast, the Treasury said.
Dr Cullen faced questions in Parliament about the size of the surpluses he has run, which he said cumulatively added up to $35.5 billion when measured as the operating balance excluding revaluations and accounting changes.
(Source NZ Herald by Paula Oliver)
May
10
02/05/07 - New law for immigration advisers
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
The Immigration Advisers Licensing Act, which requires the mandatory licensing of all immigration advisers, was passed by Parliament on 1 May 2007. Under the new act, it becomes an offence to provide immigration advice without a licence, unless exempt.
The implementation of the legislation will be staged over three years. There is a one year establishment phase, which will involve the recruitment of the Registrar, the Project Manager, and contractors. They will work together to establish the Immigration Advisers Authority and develop:
• the licensing process
• the complaints and disciplinary process
• the Code of Conduct and competency standards, and
• a communications strategy to alert current and potential immigration advisers and stakeholders on the progress of establishment, when consultation on competency standards and the code of conduct will occur, and what will be required of them.
New regulations will be required for several areas, including the setting of fees and levies. These regulations require Cabinet approval and legal drafting and will come into force via Order in Council.
During the second year, all immigration advisers can opt into the licensing system. From the start of year three, all onshore immigration advisers must be licensed, unless exempt. At the end of the three-year implementation period, all offshore immigration advisers must be licensed.
Additional information will be made available on this website in our News Sections as it becomes available.
May
10
07/05/07 - Grandfather tangled in immigration net
Monday May 07, 2007 By Simon Collins
After his wife died four years ago, Derek Bourner left a life's work behind in Britain and came to live next door to his daughter in the Waikato village of Eureka.
Cows graze on the farm across the road. It takes two minutes to walk from his small lifestyle block through a hedge to see his daughter Pauline Shed, her husband Mark and their two daughters aged 13 and 12.
"If I had written a letter in January 2005 [just before he came to New Zealand] saying where I would love to live," he said, "it would have been exactly this house I'm sitting in now."
There's only one thing wrong with the 77-year-old's idyllic existence: New Zealand's immigration laws.
Associate Immigration Minister Clayton Cosgrove declined to intervene in the case, meaning Mr Bourner will have to return to Britain. Immigration officials say because he has two daughters in Britain and only one in New Zealand, the family's "centre of gravity" is considered to be Britain.
The fact that Mr Bourner's older sister came to the Waikato in 1946 and his brother in 1950, and that with their descendants and his own daughter's family he now has 53 close relatives in this country, does not count.
The immigration policy states that parents of New Zealand residents will be given residence only if they have "an equal or greater number of adult children living lawfully and permanently in New Zealand than any other single country".
"This latest appeal - I couldn't believe it," Mr Bourner said. "All it said was what they had been saying all along about the 'centre of gravity'."
A plumber who eventually ran his own businesses in real estate, insurance and mechanical repairs, Mr Bourner and his late wife visited New Zealand about 20 times from 1974 and planned to retire here. But his wife contracted cancer and died in 2003.
Pauline and Mark Shed moved here in 1993. Mr Shed worked for Siemens and now runs his own business importing electrical goods, and Mrs Shed works for a Hamilton optician. They were the first to move in when the Manor Park subdivision began at Eureka 10 years ago.
On earlier visits, Mr Bourner saw the house he now lives in being built next door to them. On the day he arrived to visit them again in early 2005, the house's owners put it on the market. Although he knew the immigration laws could be an issue, it was too good an opportunity to miss, and Mr Bourner bought the property.
He went back to England to settle his affairs there and returned to live in the house in July 2005.
The family consulted local MP Dianne Yates, who gave them the forms to apply for residence and confirmed that they had an application in process every time Mr Bourner's visitor's permit needed to be renewed. His current permit expires in July.
When they had exhausted all the processes within Immigration New Zealand, Ms Yates agreed last November to ask Mr Cosgrove to use his ministerial discretion to let Mr Bourner stay. "I'm not asking New Zealand to support me by a cent," he said. He has two pensions from Britain, does not get New Zealand superannuation, and has private health insurance.
Mr Bourner has met a lady in his local church whom he wishes to marry. "I don't wish to marry her under the cloud that I'm marrying her to come to New Zealand," Mr Bourner said.
Ms Yates declined to comment. "It's out of my hands now," she said. A spokeswoman for Mr Cosgrove denied that he was "ordering" Mr Bourner to leave. "The minister has just declined to intervene in the case."
Ruled out for the following reasons and as per policy;
* 77-year-old Englishman Derek Bourner has one adult daughter in NZ and two in Britain.
* He has to return to the UK because immigration rules mean his family's "centre of gravity" is in Britain.
Mr Bourner says he's not asking the NZ taxpayer to support him. He gets two pensions from Britain and has private health insurance.
(Source: NZ Herald, by Simon Collins)
May
03
03/05/07 - Immigration Advisers welcome licensing law
Thursday May 3, 2007
The representative body for immigration advisers (NZAMI) has welcomed a law designed to regulate the industry. Parliament last night passed legislation requiring immigration agents to operate under licence or face a fine of up to $100,000 and/or seven years in gaol.
The New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment (NZAMI) describes the passing of the Immigration Advisors Licensing Bill as an important step towards attaining fair and honest treatment for would-be migrants.
?"We have been campaigning for a licensing system since 1999. Although we have concerns both over the time this step has taken and over some important details of the legislation, we are delighted that parliament has now clearly accepted the need for a regulatory regime," says the NZAMI's Chairman, Bernard Walsh.
Mr Walsh says the NZAMI is looking forward to working with the regulatory authority to be created under the new law and hopes that a suitable appointment will be made in the very near future. "Two obvious areas for close cooperation will be the development of a code of ethics for all migration advisers and of a system for educating them about the requirements of the new legislation.
"The NZAMI has its own stringent code of ethics, which has proved its worth and should make a good starting point for the development of a legally-binding code. We also have a well-established network, which already plays a useful role in up-skilling the profession.
"We remain concerned, however, over the large number of immigration advisers who will remain outside the regulatory framework. For example, lawyers acting as immigration advisers are to be exempt from the licensing requirement because they are already governed by rules of professional conduct. "There is, nevertheless, a case for lawyers and other exempt professions to be included in the regime, as their inclusion would reinforce the new system's integrity and reduce misunderstanding on the part of prospective migrants," he says.
Mr Walsh adds that it's even more crucial for education agents, who recruit students offshore, to be brought under the regulatory regime. He describes their current exemption as defying logic, as so many young people initially enter New Zealand under student visas and subsequently apply for residence.
"By making a large number of groups exempt from licensing, the new law has placed the burden of funding its operations on the shoulders of a very small number of practitioners. There are many thousands of people providing immigration advice in one form or another but we estimate that all but 400 practitioners will be exempted from compliance.
"We remain concerned that a proposed levy on licensed immigration advisers will drive many operators underground, frustrating the intent of the new legislation. We hope that government will bear this concern in mind when implementing this law," he says.
May
02
02/05/07 - Can Labour be trusted to keep its promise to immigration advisers?
2 May 2007
Pansy Wong, MP National Associate Immigration Spokeswoman
The immigration advisers industry is holding its breath to see if Labour will stick to its pledge that their fees for registration will be significantly less than the indicative $1,000-$2,000 suggested during the passage of the bill, says National’s Associate Immigration spokeswoman, Pansy Wong.
“The Immigration Advisers Licensing Bill was passed into law last night and means that advisers will have to register to practice.
“At the last minute, after consultation with the industry, Immigration Minister David Cunliffe, introduced levies in addition to the fees set down in the bill.
“The New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment has the largest membership of immigration advisers in New Zealand, and they were rightly devastated by the underhand way this extra levy was introduced.
“I have sought assurances from the Minister, and he assured Parliament those fees and levies together will not go over the $2,000 mark. He also stated that he had been advised they will be likely to be set significantly below that level.
“National intends to make sure the Minister and the Labour Government keeps that promise.”
May
02
Shonky immigration agents on notice with new law
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
The days of shady immigration agents ripping off unsuspecting migrants with impunity are over, says Immigration Minister David Cunliffe.
Parliament has passed the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act, which requires the mandatory licensing of all immigration advisers and provides stiff fines and imprisonment for unlicensed agents.
"Migrants, their communities and the 90 per cent of immigration advisers who are reputable will welcome this legislation," said Mr Cunliffe.
Mr Cunliffe gave credit to his predecessors as immigration minister, Lianne Dalziel and Paul Swain, who did the groundwork for his introduction of the legislation in December 2005.
"The call for the regulation of immigration advisers came from migrants," Mr Cunliffe said.
"Migrants who had been ripped off, who had been told lies, who had money and documents stolen after putting their trust in an agent and were then let down – often when their application or appeal was not lodged or important information from Immigration New Zealand was not passed on to them.
"These shonky operators also provide fraudulent documentation to immigration officials – often knowingly. Now they can either get out of business or face the consequences."
The new law makes it an offence to provide immigration advice without a licence, unless exempt. Offenders face a fine of up to $100,000 and or seven years in jail.
The law also includes offshore advisers, who will be required to be licensed one year after their local counterparts. Three years from when the law receives the Royal Assent, all offshore immigration advisers must be licensed.
It provides for the establishment of the Immigration Advisers Authority within the Department of Labour, headed by an independent registrar, and the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal within the Ministry of Justice.
To obtain and hold a licence, advisers must meet competency standards and be "fit" to practise. This includes consideration of any previous convictions.
"As a local MP, I have seen the destructive effect of unqualified immigration advice on the lives of constituents," said Mr Cunliffe. "This new law will enhance New Zealand's reputation as a migrant destination."
May
02
Ministers launch new Recognised Seasonal Employer Work Policy
Monday, April 30, 2007?
A new initiative to meet labour supply needs for horticulture and viticulture has been launched by Immigration Minister David Cunliffe and Social Development and Employment Minister David Benson-Pope today.
May
02
Pacific Access Category registration period extended for citizens of Tuvalu
Tuesday, May 01, 2007?
The 2007 Pacific Access Category (PAC) registration period for Tuvalu citizens will be extended to the end of Monday 7 May 2007.
Apr
18
Arrivals win 3 more months to find job
Wednesday April 11, 2007
Skilled immigrants have won a three-month extension to a controversial policy which gave them only six months to find a job in their field.
Migrants granted work-to-residence visas from yesterday will be given nine months to find a job, plus three months to get to New Zealand if they are applying from overseas and need to give notice to their present employers.
But immigration agents, who asked the Government to give the migrants a year to find a job, said nine months "does not go far enough".
And migrants who are already here on six-month visas and have been unable to get jobs in their fields said an extra three months would still not give employers the confidence they needed to offer them skilled jobs.
"Employers say we have been through this before and we lost our employees because Immigration denied them the right to stay," said a Filipino human resource manager who has come here with his wife and 1-year-old baby.
"This six-month work-to-residence visa has never been heard of by employers. What you are given is a six-month work visa. They don't give you any indication on the form that it's a work-to-residence visa."
The work-to-residence visa is granted to "borderline" applicants for permanent residence in the skilled migrant category. Until December 2005 they were allowed two years to get a job in their field and were then granted permanent residence, but this was cut to six months after the 2005 election in which the Labour Party signed a support agreement with New Zealand First.
More than 1300 Filipinos signed a petition to Prime Minister Helen Clark, Immigration Minister David Cunliffe and Ethnic Affairs Minister Chris Carter in January seeking a reinstatement of the two-year period.
Mr Cunliffe said he had "listened and acted on the considerable feedback from the migrant community", but considered that nine months rather than two years "is a better balance between giving migrants a decent chance to prove themselves while also ensuring that they have what's needed by Kiwi employers".
In addition, migrants arriving from yesterday will be able to get permanent residence as soon as they get a job in their skilled field. Before, they had to hold the job for three months before they could apply for residence.
Labour Department workforce policy manager Lesley Haines said migrants who were already here on six-month visas could now apply for a three-month extension even if they did not yet have a job in their field, and could also apply for residence as soon as they got the right job.
They will have to submit a new application under the skilled migrant category, but will not have to pay the $800 application fee again.
She said migrants granted work-to-residence visas were given letters explaining what the visa meant.
"The person can show this letter to a potential employer as proof they are eligible for residence if they get a skilled job," she said.
But Bernard Walsh, who chairs the immigration agents' Association for Migration and Investment, said a 12-month visa "would provide new arrivals with a more realistic opportunity for exploring the market for their specific skills, and would also make prospective migrants more attractive to employers".
(Source: NZ Herald, Simon Collins)
Apr
18
Skilled Migrant Category Work to Residence changes
Tuesday, 10 April 2007
Changes have been made to the Work to Residence (WTR) component of the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC).
These changes include:
- Extending the WTR period to allow all principal applicants a period of nine months in New Zealand to obtain an offer of skilled employment.
- Allowing principal applicants who obtain an offer of skilled employment during their WTR deferral period to be granted residence and then meet the requirement to remain in their skilled employment for three months.
These changes are effective from 10 April 2007 and are applicable to principal applicants who make their SMC residence application on or after 10 April 2007.
A new transitional work permit policy has been introduced to grant a further three month work permit to principal applicants who are in New Zealand on an expiring WTR permit where the WTR permit was issued as a result of the SMC application being deferred for six months.
Applicants who obtain an offer of skilled employment in New Zealand after their initial SMC deferral period has ended, but during the currency of their permit issued under the transitional work permit policy, must submit a new SMC application if they wish to pursue residence in New Zealand. Such applicants will be facilitated through their subsequent SMC application with a waiver of the application fee.
This new transitional work permit policy comes into effect on 10 April 2007.
Apr
04
Good news for job-hunting skilled migrants
Tuesday, 3 April 2007
Intending skilled migrants coming to New Zealand under the Work to Residence policy will get more time to find a job, says Immigration Minister David Cunliffe.
“We have listened and acted on the considerable feedback from the migrant community regarding the time that some prospective migrants need to come here and find a skilled position,” the minister says.
"People granted Work to Residence permits under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) will, from 10 April, be given nine months instead of six to find a job. Overseas applicants will also be given an additional three months to get to New Zealand before that nine months begins.
“Another change means that skilled migrants who find a job will no longer need to work for three months prior to getting residence."
A transitional policy for those already in New Zealand on the Work to Residence permit has also been approved. Immigration officers will have the ability to waive some immigration fees after the Expression of Interest (EOI) stage.
“During a review of this policy we took on board feedback from a number of migrants and migrant groups who felt that the current policy was putting some at a disadvantage. We heard anecdotally of cases where people had excellent skills on offer, but just needed an extra few months to get a skilled job.
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