Permits to give Pacific workers priority

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Wednesday October 25, 2006
 
A plan to ensure about 5,000 temporary work permits available for fruit-picking and viticulture work are first made available to people from the Pacific Islands will be unveiled today.
 
The pilot scheme will first include just six Pacific Island countries, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, but will eventually include all the members of the Pacific Islands Forum.
 
Under the plan, employers will have to prove they cannot find a New Zealander for the job. They are then required to turn to the Pacific and will have to demonstrate they are unable to employ a person from that region, before seeking to employ somebody from outside it. 

There will be strict conditions on employers, who will be required to pay the minimum wage. Employers will be able to use migrant workers on the condition that if problems emerge with the scheme they will not be entitled to use the permits in the future.

(Source: NZ Newspapers) 

Chinese visitor numbers up, but other countries down

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Friday October 20, 2006 

The number of Chinese visitors to New Zealand hit a record in the September year, but still could not prevent a fall in the annual figure for visitors from all countries.
 
Also in September, the number of New Zealand residents leaving on short-term overseas trips was the second-highest ever.
 
At 201,900 it was lower only than the 205,200 recorded in July 2005, Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) figures released today show.
 
Compared with September 2005, the number of residents on short-term overseas trips was up 3 per cent, with more trips to Australia, Fiji and Tonga.
 
For the year to September 1.867 million New Zealanders made short-term overseas trips, 1 per cent up on the year before.
 
Short-term visitors from China reached 100,800 in the September 2006 year, a 19 per cent increase from a year earlier and the first time that number had topped 100,000.
 
Despite that, visitor arrivals from all countries for the September 2006 year were down 1 per cent, to 2.384 million.
 
For the month of September, visitor arrivals were up 2 per cent from a year earlier at 166,500. More visitors came from China and Korea but fewer from Japan and Australia.
 
Looking at seasonally adjusted figures, the decrease for the month was less than 1 per cent, showing the general level of visitor arrivals had changed little since mid-2004, SNZ said.
 
Permanent and long-term arrivals exceeded departures by 2700 in September, taking the net migration gain for the year to 13,200, up from 6400 in the previous September year.
 
The migration numbers are seen as helping keep some life in the economy, as the new arrivals buy homes and household goods, contributing to property price levels and retail sales.
 
Net annual migration gains peaked at 42,500 in the year to May 2003.

(Source NZ Newspapers) 

Change in terminology Australian permanent residents

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Thursday, October 19, 2006

The INZ Operational policy has been amended to reflect changes in the updated Immigration Regulations 1999.

What does that mean to you? For more information, please contact TNC

New Guide for Athletes, Coaches, Sports Officials and Administrators

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Friday, October 20, 2006

Visiting New Zealand – A Guide for Athletes, Coaches, Sports Officials and Administrators is a new publication that aims to provide these categories of visitors with information about the process of coming to New Zealand to participate in sports events.

These have now been made available.

For more information, please  contact TNC 

Change in Policy for Employing Foreign Fishing Crew on Foreign Charter Vessels in New Zealand

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Friday, October 20, 2006

The Minister of Immigration has recently announced a range of new measures to improve the conditions for foreign fishing crew. Immigration policy regarding the Approval in Principle (AIP) and work visa application processes has been amended to implement the changes announced by the Minister.

For further information, please contact TNC

Plans To Bring More PI Immigrants

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Wednesday, 18/10/2006

More Pacific Islanders may be allowed into New Zealand to help meet our labour shortage. While such a plan won't be formally announced until the Prime Minister speaks at next week's Pacific Forum, Immigration Minister David Cunliffe's already spilled some of the details of the plan.

(Source TVNZ) 

Visitors Online no longer available

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Friday, October 13, 2006

From Monday 16 October 2006, Visitors Online permit application service from INZ will no longer be available. Applications lodged before this time will still be processed.

If you have queries or believe you are affected by this, please  contact TNC as we may be able to assist.

Immigration minister overstayer should stay

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Wednesday, 11 October 2006

Immigration officials are holding an Iranian overstayer in custody and will eventually deport him, despite Immgration Minister David Cunliffe having argued strongly he should be allowed to stay.

Associate Immigration Minister Clayton Cosgrove has turned down Hossein Yadegary's application for a discretionary visa, rejecting Mr Cunliffe's advocacy, made as MP for New Lynn before he became Immigration Minister.

Mr Yadegary, a chef, has been in custody, awaiting deportation, since the dismissal of his appeal to the Refugee Status Appeal Authority in October 2004. He has refused to be deported back to Iran voluntarily and does not hold a current passport, meaning he cannot be forcibly deported.

He was refused refugee status after arriving in New Zealand in 1993 and has since exhausted every appeal avenue available to him.

Immigrant health rip-offs

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Monday October 9, 2006
 
Immigration and health services must do more to prevent ineligible foreigners ripping off the public health system. 

Some improvements have been made however more was needed although it was hard for hospital staff to confront patients. 

Improved links with Immigration have made INZ aware that there is a consequence of having applications processed overseas.

Auckland's three health boards had non-resident bad debts totalling more than $5 million in the last financial year, but requiring new patients to prove eligibility is shrinking the problem significantly.

Scientists confirm Mt Ruapehu eruption

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Saterday, 07 October 2006

Scientists have confirmed a small eruption which may have sent a water plume about 200 metres into the air above Mt Ruapehu after a trip to the mountain top today. The eruption caused waves about six metres high in the volcanic lake but was a relatively small event

There was no sign of a lahar this is when volcanic material flows down the mountainside after an eruption. There had been no similar small scale events for a long time. In the 1980s and 1990s it happened reasonably regularly.

The eruption happened last Wednesday night in the middle of a bad storm. It would have been a geyser-type eruption. It would have domed up water in the lake and lifted it maybe a couple of hundred of metres high. Then it would have fallen back in the lake and generated waves out across the lake.

Ruapehu was very active and people had been advised not to go to the summit.