15/05/19 - Tourism job crunch: 40,000 staff needed or industry at risk

• Email a Friend

Tourist businesses may have to shut their doors some days if more staff can't be found in the next five years, says an industry leader.

It is estimated the industry needs another 40,000 workers during the next five years.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa and other tourist bodies today launched a series of initiatives to attract more workers to the sector where there were perceptions that it had a high number of dead end jobs with poor pay.

The body's chief executive Chris Roberts said the need was acute, particularly in tourist hot spots such as Queenstown and the whole industry would suffer if service standards fell.

"It means we'll be managing on inadequate staff levels and the risk then we're not maximising the opportunities, our standards might slip, he said at the industry event, Trenz.

"You're already seeing that now with restaurants are having to close one night a week in Queenstown. They want to give the chef a rest."

The tourist sector already employs an estimated 360,000 staff and like other industries was in a battle for talent.

Roberts said attracting staff wasn't just about pay. About 40 per cent of TIA's members pay a minimum of the living wage - which is higher than the minimum wage.

"Within tourism there are parts of the industry that pay very well but it's not so much a concern about wages. They're wondering if its a year round role, is there progression?"

Another group representing operators, the Tourism Export Council, says sufficient staff numbers were essential.

"For too long tourism has been considered a temporary option until something else comes along. Our industry is not only New Zealand's largest export earner, but it is continuing to grow at a rapid pace and it is essential to our reputation as a visitor destination that we attract and keep new talent," said chief executive Judy Chen.

The industry groups are seeking $3 million in the next three years from the government's soon to be introduced border levy to help pay for measures including:

• Education to improve knowledge and perceptions of tourism and tourism careers

• Make it easier for young people to experience tourism careers through activities like industry open days and placement programmes

• Ensure those entering tourism employment have a positive experience so they stay in the industry. This would include activities such as employer support and mentoring programmes.

Roberts said there was continued frustration at tourism subjects taught at school not counting towards university entrance. Teachers and parents discouraged students from learning about what is New Zealand's number one export earner.

Research released by TIA showed in some areas 75 per cent of tourist businesses were reliant on foreign staff on work visas.

The research by Angus and Associates found "significant barriers" to attracting and retaining locals included the lack of accommodation in tourism centres, the need to move from cities to small regional centres, seasonality of employment and concerns about pay.

(Source; NZ Herald)

14/05/19 - Migration eases in March, remains near historic highs

• Email a Friend

On a monthly basis the country gained a net 4,500 permanent and long-term residents in March.

New data shows the annual net migration rose in the year to March, compared to a year ago.

Annual net migration was estimated to be 56,100 for the 12 months to March 2019, up on of the 50,600 in the year to March 2018.

Estimated net migration for the year ended February 2019 was revised down to 55,100 - from 61,600.

On a monthly basis the country gained a net 4,500 permanent and long-term residents in March, down from a revised 8,565 in February but up from 3,396 in March last year.

This suggests arrivals are easing again after a spike in the first two months of the year, although they remain at historically high levels.

"We've seen sustained high levels of net migration over the last five years," senior population insights manager Brooke Theyers said."Annual net migration has ranged between 48,000 and 64,000 since the year ended December 2014. The only previous time it reached these levels was over a much shorter period over 2002 to 2003."

Migrant arrivals rose up eight per cent for the year to 152,200. The largest nationality of arrivals remained returning New Zealanders.

The next largest groups by citizenship were Chinese, Indian and Australia.

A new more accurate methodology for immigration statistics has seen the figures revised since September 2018 - with new estimates for historical data.

Based on actual departures, rather that intentions filled out on arrivals cards, Statistics NZ says it will be 16 months before the data can be considered 100 per cent accurate.

However, confidence in its estimates grows with each month the new system is in place.

Now with a fifth month of real data recorded Stats NZ demographers consider their estimates robust but have included a window of variability for each number.

They estimate that net migration figure of 56,100 could eventually vary by as much as 2.85 per cent (in either direction).

(Source: NZ Herald, Liam Dann)

14/05/19 - A couple who left the United States to live on the West Coast were told they were too old to become New Zealand residents.

• Email a Friend

A couple who left the United States to live on the West Coast were told they were too old to become New Zealand residents.

Lisa White, 58, and Dan Butler, 63, moved to Greymouth from Tennessee in 2015 for a slower pace of life.

White continued her job as a US attorney from Greymouth and Butler opened an audiology clinic on the main street.

The couple were included in a press release by Development West Coast about how new people were moving to the Coast and how it was possible to work anywhere in the world while enjoying the Coast lifestyle.

"My working patterns have changed by working remotely. I have no commute at all, and I practice law at times in my pyjamas," White said.

The pair moved to Greymouth from Tennessee but were told they were too old to become New Zealand residents.

The pair moved to Greymouth from Tennessee but were told they were too old to become New Zealand residents. But their application for permanent residency was instantly rejected by Immigration New Zealand because they were both over 55.

The couple ticked all the boxes in terms of education, experience, character, health and time spent in New Zealand. They could have applied if they had $10 million to bring to New Zealand.

"That to me is so absurd. You can buy your residency," White said.

Lisa White and Dan Butler rallied locals to clean up a Greymouth park.

The couple decided to return to the US even though they had two years left on their five-year work visa. They sold their Greymouth home and were planning to leave when they got a call from West Coast MP Damien O'Connor saying he was willing to advocate on their behalf.

The couple received a letter of support from Associate Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi, which said the age restriction should be waived in their case and he invited them to reapply. The letter is not a guarantee of residency.

The couple have since decided to spend half the year in New Zealand for the two years while they apply for residency.

They put their belongings into storage and left with their dog and cat to return to the US until December.

Development West Coast chief executive Chris Mackenzie said there should be some leeway for people willing to move to the West Coast because the region had an ageing population and needed audiology services.

"We have difficulty recruiting people who work in specialist areas, for example Hokitika is without a dentist meaning people in places like Franz and Fox have to travel to Greymouth."

O'Connor said the Government could not open the doors to the West Coast because people could move on after their residency was secured.

However, the minister could support applications on a case-by-case basis for people who did not fit the criteria.

The age limit was to ensure immigrants worked for at least 10 years before being entitled to superannuation and other benefits.

(Source: Stuff, Joanna Carroll)

11/05/19 - Immigration changes could force closure of Queenstown businesses

• Email a Friend

High-profile resort restaurant boss Fleur Caulton, the co-founder of Rata and Madam Woo, says immigration compliance costs are rising, and thatʼs putting pressure on businesses.

Immigration changes and staffing pressures may force some Queenstown hospitality businesses to shut up shop, a top restaurant boss warns.

And visa processing times have almost doubled, prompting local National MP Hamish Walker to call for central government to “urgently” intervene.

Meanwhile, Labour Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway admits there has been a slow-down, but says work is underway to reduce visa processing times.

High-profile resort restaurant boss Fleur Caulton, the co-founder of Rata and Madam Woo, says immigration compliance costs are rising, and thatʼs putting pressure on businesses.

“Every time we turn around, somethingʼs going up, and thatʼs going to make it harder for people to stay in business.”

Attracting staff, and keeping them, is also a major issue. Caulton says a proposed hike in the salary threshold for residency applications will make that worse.

Labour Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway admits there has been a slow-down, but says work is underway to reduce visa processing times. 

Dunedinʼs Madam Woo restaurant closed early this year, and Caulton says that was mainly due to staff shortages.

She reckons if things donʼt change, businesses in Queenstown will follow suit.

Sheʼs heard of restaurants not being able to open all of their tables to customers, as they donʼt have enough staff to cater for them.

“People are really struggling to run their businesses.”

In November last year, Scene reported the industry was at crisis point due to visa delays, cut-throat competition, and increasing pressure on staff.

Smiths Craft Beer House boss Chris Dickson says nothingʼs improved.

He says heʼs two duty managers down at the moment, and doesnʼt see things getting better any time soon.

Stats provided by Walker show as of last November, 90$ of visa applications were to be completed within 64 days. Thatʼs skyrocketed to 120 days.
Walkerʼs “horrified” by the situation.

“Queenstown businesses are gearing up for their busiest time of year with the ski season fast approaching and these processing times are causing great uncertainty for staff.

“The flow-on impact will mean these businesses do not have the staff to operate at capacity and therefore our tourism sector and our economy will suffer.”
Walker wrote to Lees-Galloway last year asking for an immigration specialist for Queenstown. That was declined.

“Four months to process the majority of visas is not good enough and the Immigration Minister needs to act now.

“I have asked him to urgently look into the current visa processing times and provide some certainty for Queenstown businesses.”

Lees-Galloway tells Scene when he became Minister, he found Immigration NZ wasnʼt charging enough to cover the cost of running the immigration system. Thatʼs meant costs have had to rise, he says.

As for visa delays, he says heʼs “acutely aware” of the issue.

Immigration NZ has hired more staff, and moved its processing centres back to NZ from overseas, which in the long run should speed things up, he says.

“Iʼve signalled to Immigration NZ that itʼs something Iʼm focusing on, and Iʼm getting regular updates.”

Part of the problem has been a record number of visa applications, he says. He believes businesses, local government and central government need to work together to address things like housing, which are also impacting businesses being able to attract staff.

“If you look at the challenges Queenstown is facing, some of the reasons they do find it hard to attract people is that it is an expensive place to live, and accommodation is hard to come by. The response has to come from everybody.”

(Source: Otago Daily Times, Daisy Hudson)

15/04/19 - Six years in 'limbo': Yachties and wannabe Napier residents forced 18,000km from NZ shores

• Email a Friend

Wannabe Napier residents Patrick and Doris Boucher have been spent the past six years of their lives in "limbo".

For six months of the year they're about 18 metres away from New Zealand shores. But for the other six months they live about 18,000km away.

The grandparents are now preparing for yet another lengthy flight back to Germany this week, forced away from their family and friends by NZ's ever-changing immigration system.

The Bouchers, who live on a sailing boat docked in Ahuriri when they're allowed back to Napier, entered the Expressions of Interest (EOI) for New Zealand residency under the Parent Category in 2013. Their two sons, married to New Zealanders, live in Napier with their children.

But an Immigration NZ spokesperson said although it was still accepting expressions of interest, no applications were being selected from the pool.

"The government decided to close it 2016 - we're just awaiting the next decision on what will happen."

The Bouchers live on a sailing boat docked in Ahuriri when they're allowed back to Napier.

The Bouchers signed a petition to lift the moratorium on the Parent Category Immigration visa application in 2018 and it was presented to Parliament on February 12 this year. They're currently on a "Grandparents Visa" which means they can stay six months at a time in New Zealand, with a maximum total stay of 18 months in three years.

In a letter to Immigration New Zealand, they wrote they had no immediate family connections left in Germany and Napier was the place they felt at home and most welcome.

"We're members of the sailing club, the coast guard, and live aboard our own sailing boat. "We both have our own retirement funds and health insurance, at present we are both in good health."

Their letters to Immigration New Zealand remain unanswered, they said.

They resorted to contacting MPs, including Napier's Stuart Nash, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway and Customs Minister Kris Faafoi.

Nash responded and one of Boucher's sons will meet him on his parents' behalf next week, as they will be on a flight back to Germany. Nash wrote a letter of support for their application saying "the Boucher family are high calibre citizens of our region and parents Patrick and Doris Boucher would be valued assets and warmly welcomed as residents under the Parent Category. I wish them every success".

Patrick and Doris Boucher have been wanting to move to New Zealand for years, but their residency application has stalled.

Their daughter-in-law Louise Taotahi said her family had been trying to help them gain permanent residency for at least five years.

"We have a long-term plan where both sets of parents would live in with us in add-on buildings where they would not be reliant on any monetary help from this government," she wrote.

Patrick Boucher said if anything they were costing Germany more money than they would New Zealand.

"We are on the pension in Germany and yet we don't spend any money there, all our money is spent in New Zealand when we come and visit. We would just stay on the boat and then when the time comes, move in with our own family.

"It's wonderful coming back to New Zealand because everyone knows us and always say 'oh you've come home!'

There are a lot of people visiting from Europe and we're just so happy to show them around because we love Hawke's Bay, especially Napier."

But for now, the frustrating wait continues. They'll be back again in October.

"We would just like a simple answer when it comes to residency, it would just make life so much easier. It's just the waiting in limbo which is the hardest for us."

(Source: NZ Herald, Hawkes Bay Today, Georgia May)

09/04/19 - Tribunal rules staying in New Zealand would be in best interests of woman and her children

• Email a Friend

The New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal has ordered that a Tongan woman be granted a residence visa.

The woman arrived in New Zealand in 2011. She had been granted a limited general visa for one month to enable her to visit one of her brothers here. She was pregnant and  gave birth to her son in June 2011.   He is a   New Zealand citizen by birth.The son’s father is a Tongan citizen with residence  in New Zealand.   The appellant applied for a further visitor visa in June 2011,  but her application was declined.  She has remained in New Zealand illegally since then.

She married another man in 2014, after giving birth to a child to him. The Tribunal was told her husband was frequently violent to her and her young son.

Subsequently she was granted a temporary protection order against her husband and a Family Court order preventing the daughter’s  removal from New Zealand. She later moved to live with her brother and his family.The Tribunal was told the woman could not return to Tonga because she would have no means of independent financial support there. She had no qualifications and little work experience. Her parents were dead and her brother there could not provide her with financial support.

The Tribunal was told the woman and her daughter were an integral part of her brother’s  family unit in New Zealand. There was broad family support for them in New Zealand.

The Tribunal said that deporting the woman would clearly not be in the best interests  of her daughter. Her daughter had only lived in New Zealand and, as a New Zealand citizen, was  entitled to enjoy the benefits of the New Zealand education and health system.

The woman had considered leaving her daughter in New Zealand with family members, but did not want to be separated from her daughter.

The Tribunal ruled that the woman had exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature that would make it unjust or unduly harsh for her to be deported from New Zealand.

“The appellant has been living in New Zealand for eight years,” the Tribunal said.

“She has two New Zealand-citizen children and her family members, to whom she is close, are well-established here.
“Weighing the adverse public interest considerations (the length of the appellant’s unlawful status in New Zealand) against the public  interest considerations favouring the appellant remaining in New Zealand (her clear health status and good character, and family nexus to New Zealand, and the best interests of her two New Zealand-citizen children), the Tribunal is satisfied  that it would not be contrary to the public interest to allow the appellant to remain in New Zealand.”

(Source; Kanivatonga News, Philip Cass)

05/04/19 - Businesses and immigrants hit out at visa delays

• Email a Friend

Businesses say they are missing out on staff and immigrants are facing long waits for news as delays to visa processing continue.

The immigration advisers' association says it takes two days to get a business visa in Australia but has heard of it taking up to six months in New Zealand in recent months.

One man, Dhanush Laxman, from Mumbai, has not seen his baby since he was a month old while he waits for his partner's work visa to arrive.

"I am really missing his childhood," he said. "This delay is taking a toll on us."

British helicopter pilot Neil Walden said the timeframe he was given by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) had almost doubled, and it was hiding behind the Christchurch attacks to excuse the lengthening delays.

When he applied for a $465 Silver Fern Job Search visa on 9 January, the advertised waiting time stood at 47 days.

"I understood that it might be a busy time of year for them as they have said, so it may be a few days longer than that, so I came with enough money to support myself for a certain amount of time," he said. "But now I'm here not far off 90 days later and still waiting, my application sat in a case officer's file for the whole of the month of March and I just found out on April 1 that it's been handed to a different case officer to sit in their file for however long this is going to take now."

He cannot get a job offer until he has the visa.

"There's a lot of helicopter use in New Zealand because of the geography of the place," he said. "And companies in other industries are also crying out for people. I've asked other people's opinions of the immigration system they say 'oh yeah we're waiting for somebody to do this that or the other to be approved as well'. "I love the country, the country's great. But the dealings I've had with Immigration New Zealand really does take the shine off it."

Arun Paul from Kerala in India is due to start a Wintec course in applied information technology on 29 April. It's been almost three months since he applied for a student visa and has not heard anything from INZ. He has several friends who had no progress in their student visas after more than 100 days of waiting - and their courses were due to start in February, he said.

The Employers and Manufacturers Association said it was hearing a lot of complaints from businesses and it was getting worse.

"It seems to be a resourcing issue within MBIE in terms of processing and bringing them into the country," its general manager of advocacy, Alan McDonald said. "By the time you add accreditation it's taking four or five months."

The Association of Migration and Investment said INZ was going through growing pains, with case officers who were not fully equipped to deal with the applications.

In one case, INZ asked for proof that a job had been advertised, when the role was on the skills shortage list and no advertisement was necessary.

"Employers, when they make up their mind, they have to recruit somebody [overseas] they're doing it because they cannot find somebody in New Zealand to do it," its chairperson June Ranson said. "And then they find they have to wait three months in some instances, and they are businesses, they can't operate like this, it's affecting the economy and also the successful running of the business."

When advisers, lawyers or immigrants called the contact centre, they were not told who the case officer was or where they were in the queue, she said.

"You're just in the dark. When you look at what happens in Australia you can get a business visa through in two days. It's far too slow and cumbersome."

Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Chris Roberts said the delays are affecting visitors as well as businesses in the sector. "There's nothing that annoys an employer more than an unexpected delay on getting a visa for a much-needed employee," he said.

"The time to get a visitor visa is also lengthening at the moment quite quickly, so 20 percent of all visitor visas are taking longer than three weeks and for the Indian market 20 percent of the visas are taking more than a month."

Meanwhile, Dhanush Laxman is flying home so as not to miss his three- month-old baby's first Vishu New Year this month.

"When I tried calling up INZ in New Zealand, there is no response," he said. "There is an option to receive a call back, I did that after holding for 10 minutes. "But when you receive the call back, the automated messages keep rolling and it's not an actual call back from a representative. I waited 46 minutes and got frustrated and hung up the call."

(Source; RNZ, Gill Bonnett)

23/03/19 - ETIAS: New Zealanders to require Europe 'visa', from 2021

• Email a Friend

ETIAS: What is it and why do we need one now?

New Zealanders heading to the EU will soon need to add an "Etias" authorisation to their list of holiday essentials.

From 2021, New Zealander is one of sixty countries whose citizens will be required to apply in advance for an Etias authorisation.

Previously countries like New Zealand and the United States enjoyed an automatic 90 day entry visa to countries in the EU. However, in under two years' time the Etias will be required.

The programme - which stands for 'European travel Information and Authorization System' - has already caused huge amounts of confusion for the countries to which it applies.

This uncertainty was only doubled when EU president Jeanne Claude Juncker announced the programme as emphatically "not a visa."

The system which was first outlined in the 2016 Bratislava Roadmap (something that also sounds like it would be useful on a trip to Europe) is used for processing the details of nationalities who would normally be granted 90-day entry visas.

It is described as "an automated IT system" created to identify any risks associated with an otherwise visa-exempt visitor, and is expected to cost around € 7 per applicant, or $12.

To the eyes of the average traveller: it seems increasingly like this European 'not a visa' e-document – which must be paid and applied for in advance, and is required for entry to the EU – will be a visa in every aspect but name alone.

The confusion surrounding the Etias is understandable.

It is most similar to the 'Esta' visa waver programme for visiting the United States.

The document will allow visitors to apply for 90 days stay for leisure and will last three years, so no need to reapply on every entry.

Kiwis will be able to apply online for the document, a process that is expected to take no longer than 10 minutes. The processing fee is used in part to offset the background checks for potential visitors – working with databases from SIS, Interpol and Europol.

So far, so virtually painless.

Unless of course there is a special grounds on background for refusing the digital application.

The European commission explains that if there is "a hit from the automated application processing, the application will undergo manual processing by staff of the ETIAS."

This manual assessment is to be conducted by the European Coast or Border Guard, and could prolong the response time by 96 hours without any certainty of approval.

Ultimately the commission says it will be up to air carriers or coach companies to check their passengers have the document before allowing passengers to board.

And then you're free to gaily traipse though the cobbled streets of Europe?

Well. . . not quite. It is only required for the Schengen area - essentially mainland Europe.

There are some notable exceptions for the programme including the UK and Ireland - whose sea borders saw them opt out of the agreement - and Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus.

You will not need a authorisation to enter Britain, not matter what stage of Brexit has been reached by 2021.

But the Etias will be similar in principal and cost to applying for the American visa-waiver programme, which is both a good and a bad thing.

As we covered for NZ Herald Travel readers last year many Kiwis were being duped into paying private companies up to 10 times more for US Esta clearance.

While the official process of applying for the document is not yet published, the amount of unofficial private websites offering assistance to EU Etias applicants has already mushroomed.

Moving the process online may speed it up, but not make it any clearer.

EU Parliament on the ETIAS programme

ETIAS authorisation: What Kiwis need to know

1. What is new requirement?

It is an authorization called an ETIAS, which stands for the European Travel Information and Authorization System. (Both the system and the authorisation seem to be called ETIAS.)

2. Who needs to get it?

Initially, citizens of 60 countries, including New Zealand.

3. When does this go into effect?

This new system is expected to be implemented in 2021.

4. What will it cost me to get an ETIAS?

This has not been decided yet. The ETIAS information site says suggestions range between 7 and 60 euros. The money will go to the EU budget.

5. What does ETIAS authorize me to do?

It authorises you to enter and to travel in the EU Schengen Area for up to 90 days.

6. What is the Schengen Area?

It is a group of 26 European countries that banded together to form one entity for the purposes of passport and border control. Citizens of a Schengen zone country can visit the other countries passport- and visa-free.

7. Is the Schengen area the same as the European Union?

Not exactly. It includes EU member countries Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and as well as nonmembers countries Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, plus the microstates of Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City.

8. Which EU countries are not in the Schengen Agreement?

The United Kingdom and Ireland, which have chosen not to be part of the agreement, and Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus, which are expected to eventually join.

9. Why is it called the Schengen Agreement?

The treaty that created the zone was signed on a ship on the Moselle River in Luxembourg, near a small town called Schengen. Agreements between nations are often named for where they were crafted: Kyoto Protocol, Oslo Accord, Geneva Conventions, Treaty of Versailles, Treaty of Paris . . .

10. How long will my ETIAS be valid?

Three years. You can visit Europe for up to 90 days at a time, but cannot be there for more than 90 days in each 180-day period.

11. How do I get an ETIAS authorization?

You apply online. . . eventually.

12. What do I need to have to apply?

You need a valid passport that will not expire within three months of your travel to the EU (if you are staying 90 days, it should be valid for six months). You will also need a credit or debit card and email address.

13. What information will I have to provide?

Basic information, including your name, age, gender, nationality, date and place of birth, passport information, address and contact information and first Schengen country you plan to visit. You will also have to answer background and security questions.

14. How long will it take to get this authorisation?

It will take about 10 minutes to fill out the online form and pay. Your application will then be cross-checked against European border security and criminal databases. If there are no problems with your application, you should receive authorization by email within minutes.

15. What if there is a problem?

You will get an email within 96 hours stating the reasons for refusal and providing instructions for appealing. An appeal should be decided within four weeks.

16. What will I get to prove I have ETIAS authorization?

According to a European Commission spokesman, you will not receive anything physical because "the ETIAS is an authorization issued in an IT system."

17. Who will check that I have this authorization?

Your ETIAS status will be checked electronically before you board an airline and at borders. The spokesman said the airline check will usually "be carried out at the check-in time. Air carriers will automatically send a query to ETIAS and will receive, in a matter of seconds, a reply whether the person has or not a valid travel authorization."

18. And where?

At Schengen area border crossing points, your ETIAS status will be checked by the European Entry/Exit System (EES), an IT system that is in development. "The EES will replace the manual stamping of passports at entries and exits to and from the Schengen area," the spokesman said. (This will be a disappointment for travelers who take pride in possessing a well-stamped passport.)

19. What about my kids?

Everyone visiting the EU will need ETIAS authorization.

20. But they do not have an email address or debit card.

Guardians of children under age 18 can fill out the forms for them. There is no fee for children under 18 or people older than 70.

21. How, exactly, does this differ from a visa?

A visa is required to remain in a Schengen zone country for more than 90 days. A visa requires much more information than ETIAS, such as including photos, a copy of your itinerary and proof you can financially support yourself. Visas for the purpose of employment or studying require even more information.

22. How will Brexit affect this?

From an New Zealand standpoint, not at all. Whether it stays in the EU or not, the United Kingdom is not part of ETIAS, so you will not need an ETIAS to visit there. From a British standpoint, it appears U.K. residents will have to obtain an ETIAS to visit countries in the Schengen Zone.

23. Why do countries do this?

Mostly for security. It allows countries to prescreen people long-distance, rather than in a passport control line. It also should help cut down on illegal migration.

26. But do I have to enter through the country I said I planned to visit first? What if I change my plans?

The question regarding the first country an applicant plans to visit, "relates to the intention of travel and stay and is not an obligation for the traveller to travel and enter through that specified Member State, as indeed travel plans may have changed or not having been made in advance of applying for ETIAS," the spokesman said

Additional research and reporting by Elizabeth Chang of the Washington Post
(Source : NZ Herald)

13/03/19 - Government's quiet immigration crackdown: 600 fewer residence visas a month

• Email a Friend

Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway didn't bother to announce a change in residence visas.

Newshub can reveal the Immigration Minister has ordered his officials to grant 600 fewer residence visas a month.

The minister, Iain Lees-Galloway, didn't bother to announce the changes, and is now denying a cut in the numbers.

It affects the likes of Nataliya Shchetkova, who is facing deportation. She and her husband moved to New Zealand from Ukraine, and own a restaurant in Auckland's St Heliers.

Hundreds rally in support of Ukrainian family facing deportation

Thousands sign petition to save Ukrainian family from deportation

Immigration New Zealand pressured to give Chinese workers alternative visas

Their five-year-old twins were born in New Zealand - but if the family doesn't get residency, they'll go back to a war-torn country they've never seen.

"It makes me cry," Ms Schetkova said during a plea to Parliament on Wednesday, asking the Government to grant her special permission to stay in the country.

ACT Party leader David Seymour has been an advocate for the family.

"We want immigrants like the Schetkovas. Now we've got them, and the Government is trying to send them back to the Ukraine."

It comes as the Government has made a somewhat secret immigration crackdown.

National set a limit of 95,000 residence visas to be granted over two years - that works out to an average of almost 4000 a month.

The current Government has cut that significantly - down to a maximum of 60,000 over 18 months. That's about 600 fewer people a month.

When asked why he didn't announce the change, Mr Lees-Galloway told Newshub: "Because it is very much steady as she goes... the numbers in the residency programme are not changing."

National MP Michael Woodhouse said it's "certainly policy by stealth" and that it's "bad for New Zealand economically, culturally and socially".

The Government has also changed which immigrants it wants to grant residency to.

Under National, 60 percent were granted to skilled migrants, 32-33 percent were granted to family members of migrants, and 7-8 percent went to refugees.

This Government has cut the number of skilled migrants, dishing up more residencies to family members and refugees.

"It's surreptitious - employers don't even know about it," Mr Woodhouse said.

Both Labour and New Zealand First were very vocal about cutting immigration in opposition, which makes it all the more puzzling that there was no one shouting these changes from the rooftops.

Even to the extent that the Immigration Minister is even denying anything is happening.

(Source; Jenna Lynch, Newshub)

21/02/19 - Immigration appeals: surge in decisions overturned last year

• Email a Friend

Four out of every 10 appeals against Immigration New Zealand decisions have been upheld - leading immigration advisers to wonder if even more people may be missing out on residence because of flawed assessments.

An immigration lawyer said staff turnover, delays in processing and heavy workloads had led to inconsistencies and mistakes in visa processing.

One immigrant, who asked not to be named, said he knew people who had to leave the country as a result of bad decisions.

He was one of about 50 people to gain residence after a joint appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal (IPT).

But he said he knew people who had given up and gone home.

"My perspective would be it was election time and during that time there was in the news that migrant numbers had to be cut down.

"They were not able to cut down student numbers or visitor visas, so they started pinpointing specific fields on the resident applications like chefs, IT support and retail store managers."

There was a 62 per cent increase in Immigration New Zealand appeals in the 2017-18 year - the highest in its history at 1927.

Most were for rejected residence visa applications and smaller numbers were appeals against deportations and failed asylum bids.

In the same period INZ refused 6000 residence visas out of 43,000 applications.

Successful appeals jumped from 29 to 41 per cent, with higher proportions for residence visas.

Immigration lawyer Simon Laurent said those numbers suggested more immigrants should be considering appeals.

It raised serious questions about INZ decision making, especially in residence visas, he said.

"There's a high level of churn in the staffing of Immigration New Zealand's visa services and the training may not be keeping up.

"So the standards applied are not being applied effectively because of the lack of experience of the people making them."

In about 80 per cent of the rejected cases, residence decisions were sent back to INZ for reconsideration because it had made an incorrect assessment.

Wrongly-declined visas could have life-changing ramifications, Mr Laurent said.

"They've either simply had to settle for staying on a work visa or realised they've come to a dead end."

Immigration adviser Arunima Dhingra said rejected partnership applications were also being pulled up by the tribunal, including a case where one of the grounds of refusal had been the wife not knowing which medicines her husband took.

"The yardstick that Immigration New Zealand has been using is, I believe, very shallow."

INZ officers were not looking enough into the complexities, cultures and contexts of applications, she said.

Appeals at time of policy change and more applications - INZ

INZ said the number of appeals to the IPT had fallen sharply since the start of 2018.

Assistant general manager Peter Elms denied the problem was down to staff turnover or how policy was being applied.

He said the incorrect assessments came at the time of a change in immigration policy and during a surge in applications from skilled immigrants.

"There were a large number of residence applications being submitted around that time in 2017. The greatest proportion of those residence applications were for the lower skilled end of the market.

"The quality assurance processes we have in the residence space are pretty good."

Residence decisions were also more consistent since being brought onshore rather than being processed overseas, he added.

The appeals tribunal, in its annual report, attributed the increase in appeals to changes in the application of immigration policies, and INZ efforts to clear backlogs.

(Source: 1NEWS NOW)