27/08/18 - New information-sharing system links police with Immigration NZ

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A new automated system which went live yesterday improves the sharing of information between the police and Immigration New Zealand. Photo / FileA new automated system which went live yesterday improves the sharing of information between the police and Immigration New Zealand.

Police are now able to identify a person they are taking enforcement action against more easily with a new automated system.

The system, which went live yesterday, improves the sharing of information between Immigration New Zealand and the police.

"This electronic access is another step towards an improved system of managing the identities of those entering the criminal justice system," says Manager: National Forensic Services Inspector John Walker.

"The improvements allow better linking between government agencies to ensure a cross-sector view of people that Police and INZ are both dealing with."

Police will have 24/7 access to the system, and said it was particularly valuable when they have arrested someone or suspect that a person was a foreign national.

Walker said the sharing of information with INZ would allow the agency to take the necessary compliance action against a non-New Zealander who may be breaching their visa conditions.

The improvements are in addition to recent automated access by police to driver licence images held by the NZ Transport Agency.

Currently, there is also a manual process where police requested information from INZ via a contact centre.

The improvements is part of the Progressive Steps project, which is a response to a Government inquiry into the Smith/Traynor incident.

A call for an overhaul of systems and information sharing between government agencies was made after a chain of shortcomings and failings allowed Phillip John Smith, a murderer and child sex offender, to escape to Brazil.

(Source: NZ Herald, Lincoln Tan)

21/08/18 - Kiwis head back to Australia as net migration slows

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NZ's annual net migration gain is falling and departures to Australia are on the rise.

Kiwis are starting to head across the ditch to live and work again and that has contributed to the fall in New Zealand's annual net migration gain.

Annual net migration for the year to July 2018 was 63,800, according to new numbers released by Stats NZ yesterday.

That is now down 8,600 from its peak of 74,200 in July 2017 – but still high by historic levels.

While the numbers remain low by historic standards, economists have noted that an uptick in departures to Australia may represent a return to a more traditional migration pattern.

For decades, a steady flow of New Zealanders headed to Australia for better employment and lifestyle options.

This trend last peaked in 2012 when the Australian economy was booming.

Since then the numbers have declined, flatlining (below 2000 long-term departures) since 2014.

In the past two years we've even seen more Australians moving to New Zealand in some of the monthly data.

However since the start of 2018 the traditional trend has started to re-emerge.

"Departures are trending up, reflecting the natural cycling out of previous arrivals, but also, of late, an evolving relative performance of the Australasian labour markets," ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner said.

"Australian unemployment is at a six-year low (albeit still higher than in New Zealand). Arrivals continue to moderate, but remain high, with the impact of policy tweaks still playing out."

The July data showed that arrivals remained static at 10,600 for the month, the fall to a lower net figure was driven by a lift in permanent and long-term departures.

"How rapidly the migration cycle will ease is a key source of uncertainty for the economic outlook going forward," Zollner said.

"With population growth having provided two thirds of New Zealand's economic growth in the last year, migration is key to watch."

Migration became a political flashpoint in last year's election with critics of the National Government arguing that it was being used to prop up economic growth and was putting too much pressure on the housing market and infrastructure.

Stats NZ yesterday noted that the decrease in the net figure was mainly driven by more non-New Zealand citizen migrants leaving the country, after being in New Zealand for at least a year.

Non-New Zealand citizen migrant departures were up 20 per cent from the July 2017 year to 31,300.

"Even though annual net migration is lower than a year ago, it is still high by historical standards," Stats NZ population insights senior manager Brooke Theyers said.

"Smaller countries like New Zealand and Ireland tend to have larger swings in net migration rates simply because they have a small population. In contrast, countries with large populations tend to have low net migration rates."

New Zealand's current migration rate is almost four times as high as the United Kingdom and the United States. Both had a net migration rate of 3.4 people per 1,000 population in the June 2017 year, he said.

(Source Liam Dann, NZ Herald)

19/08/18 - ’Tolerance towards migrants, contact is the most important factor'

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New Zealanders face a nationwide challenge convincing people that cultural differences are an asset and not a problem, a Massey University academic says.

The way we see the world is informed by values inherent in our culture and environment. Different race kids holding hands. The way we see the world is informed by values inherent in our culture and environment.

Speaking at a conference of the Association of Migration and Investment yesterday, Massey University Pro Vice Chancellor Paul Spoonley said while parts of New Zealand were very positive about migrants, others remained unconvinced.

Hostility towards migrants was highest in people who had no contact with them, he said.

"There are pockets where I think we have a challenge in this country to continue to convince people that being a migrant and perhaps being culturally, linguistically or religiously different is an asset, not a problem."

A national survey of New Zealand attitudes showed rates of positivity towards migrants doubled or tripled compared to those in Europe using the same questions.

However, he said there was extreme variation in the results.

Mr Spoonley said migrants from Britain or South Africa were seen much more favourably than migrants from India or China.

"If we look at what makes a difference in tolerance towards migrants, contact is the most important factor.

"When you get into parts of New Zealand which don't have contact with migrants, the level of hostility or warmth, as the Asia New Zealand Foundation talks about, goes up."

Immigration New Zealand assistant general manager of visa services Peter Elms told the conference New Zealanders valued migrants but it depended on a person's circumstances.

Employees and rural communities valued migrants while those in central cities were less positive, he said.

"If you're in Auckland and you're living in the central city area, I suspect your views on migration may be slightly different."

(Source: Anneke Smith, Radio NZ)

17/08/18 - Immigration policy needs to return to first principles - minister

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The Immigration Minister says he will review temporary work visas and Pacific immigration to make them fit for purpose.

Speaking at a conference of the Association of Migration and Investment today, Iain Lees-Galloway said immigration policy needed to go back to first principles about which skills gaps needed filling.

The immigration system has had policies bolted onto it over the years and a broader review was better than tinkering, he said.

The previous government's decision to make temporary migrants leave the country for a year after a maximum of three years will be looked at.

The review will also look at Pacific immigration and the recognised seasonal employer scheme.

Mr Lees-Galloway said he wanted to create a more streamlined system.

(Source: RNZ)

14/08/18 - NZ population grows by 443,000 in 5 years, driven by high net migration

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New Zealand's population is expected to reach 5 million in around 2020, though the milestone could come earlier if net migration stays high. .

New Zealand's population has grown by nearly 450,000 people - the equivalent of the Waikato region - in the past five years and is closing in on five million people.

Statistics New Zealand said today that the estimated resident population was 4,885,300 on June 30 - an increase of 1.9 per cent on the previous year.

That was slightly slower growth than in the year to June 2017, when the population grew by 2.1 per cent - partly because fewer migrants are arriving in New Zealand and more are leaving.

This country's growth is high by historical and international standards. Australia's population rose by 1.6 per cent in the past year, and the global population rose by 1.2 per cent.

The main driver behind the growing population is net migration, which reached a peak of 72,400 in the July 2017 year. Natural increases in population (births minus deaths) contributed around 30,000 more people a year.

Since the census in 2013, the New Zealand population has grown by 443,200. It is expected to reach the 5 million milestone around 2020, but that could come earlier if net migration remains high.

The population is growing in most age groups. In the over-30 group, women outnumber men, while in the under-30 group, men outnumber women.

There are 14,600 more men than women in the 20 to 24-year old age group, and 14,000 more women than men in the 45 to 49 year-old age group.

Stats NZ said there were a number of reasons for this disparity, including migration trends, sex ratios at birth, and women living longer than men.

The median age of males and females has grown to more than 2.5 years, compared to just one years a decade ago. The median age for New Zealand men is 35.6 years and for women it is 38.2 years.

(source: NZ Herald, Isaac Davison)

08/08/18 - Change to international students' post-study work rights announced

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A range of changes to the post-study work rights of international students has been announced today, in an attempt to reduce student exploitation and incentivise study in the regions. 

Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway said today the changes will "boost New Zealand’s economy, reduce student exploitation and promote our regional education offerings". 

"The removal of employer-assisted post-study work rights at all levels will help reduce the risk of migrant exploitation, and better protect New Zealand’s international reputation." 

Universities NZ executive director Chris Whelan welcomed the changes, calling international education "a valuable export earner for New Zealand" and said the "two-way flow of people between New Zealand the rest of the world is critical for both New Zealand and its people". 

From November 26, changes to post-study work rights include:

• Remove the employer-assisted post-study work visas at all levels;
• Provide a one-year post-study open work visa for students studying Level 4 to 6 and non-degree Level 7 qualifications, with an additional year for Graduate Diploma graduates who are working towards registration with a professional or trade body;
• Provide a two-year post-study open work visa for students studying Level 4 to 6 and non-degree Level 7 qualifications outside Auckland provided study is completed by December 2021.
• Provide a three-year post-study open work visa for degree Level 7 or above qualifications; and
  require international students studying Level 8 qualifications to be in an area specified on the Long Term Skills Shortage list in order for their partner to be eligible for an open work visa, and in turn for the partners’ dependent children to be eligible for fee-free domestic schooling. 

For further information, please click here

(Source; 1News Now)

07/08/18 - Changes to international student post-study work rights imminent

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Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway brought his revised proposal on international student post-study work rights to Cabinet and is expected to make an announcement on Wednesday.

A Government announcement on its overhaul of the international student work visa scheme is imminent.

In an effort to stamp out exploitation, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway, proposed removing the requirement for post-study work visas to be sponsored by a particular employer.

It would also limit the length of post-study work visas for courses below degree level to one year and remove post-study work rights for courses of less than two years in duration. Graduates could apply for other visas at the end of their post-study work visa but would need to meet the skills and labour market tests.

Proposals to change student post-study work rights announced in June are aimed at helping eliminate migrant exploitation but came under fire for putting the tertiary education sector at risk.

There would also be a requirement for international students studying level eight or nine qualifications to be in an area specified in the Long Term Skills Shortage List in order for their partner to be eligible for an open work visa, and in turn the partner's dependent children to be eligible for fee-free compulsory schooling.

The proposals came under fire from the National Party and international education providers.

Concerns were raised that under the plan to limit post-study work rights, 44,000 fewer students might come to New Zealand each year, a drop of more than a third that would cost the economy more than $1 billion a year.

The proposals are understood to have been revised after 2000 public submissions were received.

Lees-Galloway has not given any detail on potential changes but last week said they would demonstrate the Government listened.

But it is understood he will make an announcement on Wednesday ahead of his speech at The New Zealand International Education Conference on Thursday.

Last week Aspire2 International chief executive Clare Bradley speculated changes might be related to universities and polytechs and adding graduate diplomas to the top level, which would keep them happy, she said.

"It would not address the concerns we have about level seven diplomas and below, where there is a significant reduction in the work rights."

She believed many students would look at their options in other countries if their post study work rights were removed in New Zealand.

(Source: Stuff, Collette Devlin)
 

07/08/18 - Immigration NZ forced to address privacy concerns with online site RealMe

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Privacy breaches by immigration advisors have forced Immigration New Zealand to halt efforts to move some of its visa applications solely online.

Documents show the department knew four months ago that advisers were breaching the terms of the government website RealMe, which people use to prove who are they, but only alerted them three weeks ago.

Immigration advisors have to use the government's secure site RealMe to lodge applications on behalf of their clients.

New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment chairperson June Ranson said typically this involves more than one person in the office having access to an applicant's file, sharing log-ins.

"It's when you have the advisors who are in fact working in companies and they have back-up support people and those people can be acting on their behalf in loading information into RealMe and following up," Mrs Ranson said.

That's in breach of the site's terms and conditions.

Documents obtained by RNZ show Immigration New Zealand officials have been aware of the problem for months, including this advice from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in April.

"The sharing of these logins is in violation of RealMe's terms or use and creates broader privacy risks around access to applicant's information and possible misuses of login credentials," the privacy office said in their advice.

Mrs Ranson said immigration officials only brought it to their attention three weeks ago, which coincided with information being released to RNZ.

Immigration New Zealand general manager service design and performance Stephen Dunstan said it didn't encourage or condone the sharing of RealMe accounts.

"They have a choice of how they get applications to us, either on paper which ... is the application method that's been used predominately for the last 30-40 years and they will be very familiar with doing that. Or there is an online choice and the online choice is perfectly usable for immigration advisors, they should just not share their RealMe account," he said.

Mrs Ranson argues paper applications are not without their problems and suggests the department bring back drop boxes, which let people submit their application at their local immigration office.

"The inconvenience that's going to be caused to applicants is that going back to paper, they have to pay more for their application. They have got the risk that their documents - hard copy documents - can only be transferred through the courier system, which can get lost and it's more time consuming," she said.

Mrs Ranson said in the rush to get visa applications online, the process hasn't been thought through.

"When Immigration New Zealand came up with the online system they never really thought through the potential problem for the online system being designed through using the RealMe," she said.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner agreed, questioning the rush to go online before a better identification system had been developed.

The Office said unless its concerns were addressed, the project should be put on hold.

We have significant concerns that, as the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has identified, mandating use of the online portal will exacerbate the issue already in play with RealMe logins. Similarly, we are concerned that MBIE would be sanctioning and endorsing the violation of another government agency's terms of use," the advice said.

Immigration New Zealand has delayed putting visa applications for its student, visitor and temporary work visas solely online until if had satisfied the concerns of the Privacy Commissioner.

Documents show the Department of Internal Affairs, which runs RealMe, has no plans to change the site.
Immigration New Zealand said it was working on its own solution, and expected to have a business case completed by next month.

(Source: RNZ)

Our comments: At the start of the on-line application project, INZ was requested by the advisers community to ensure that applicants would be able to change adviser. Privacy issues were also a strong voiced concern. That request was seen as a not-so-important feature however this issue is now coming up as a breach of the terms and conditions. This current approach confirms in my view that INZ did not really think it through. We suggest that as soon as INZ is able to introduce the option to change the adviser for a particular applicant in their system, this issue would be solved immediately!

06/08/18 - Tough immigration policies impacts workers in elderly care sector

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Rest homes are starting to lose valuable workers as stricter immigration rules bite, says the Aged Care Association.

Kaitaia therapist, Juliet Garcia, has worked for 10 years but can't get residence.

She's just one example of immigration rules affecting the sector, said chief executive of the Aged Care Association, Simon Wallace.

The Filipino aged care worker worries her work visa will not be renewed next year.

Mr Wallace said some migrant workers are being put off by new 3-year limits to visas, and the fact they can no longer bring their partners.

"They're a valuable part of the New Zealand way of life and we're also seeing, the Kaitaia case is a good example of migrant workers out in more rural, regional areas of New Zealand where we need them.

"We just cannot afford to lose people from those sorts of areas."

He said some regions have no local workers to fill such gaps.

(Source:RNZ)

25/07/18 - Immigration NZ plans to raise cost of work visa to stem $43m deficit

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Immigration New Zealand's plan to more than double the cost of work visas to help close a growing $43 million deficit has employers worried.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's consultation on a plan to stem its deficit closed on Sunday.

Hospitality industry organisations opposed the proposed changes in their submissions supplied to RNZ, and expressed concern over the government department's ability to manage costs effectively.

Hospitality NZ's submission said the industry needed 10,000 more restaurant and cafe staff over the next two years and there were not enough New Zealanders with necessary skills to take up the roles.

It said the ministry's plan to increase work visa fees by 54 percent could deter migrant workers from coming to New Zealand.

Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois said almost all of its 2000 members opposed the increase.

"Most believe that this would intensify and increase the pressure on an already challenging work recruitment market for our industry. The majority of our members as well believe that an increase in fees would act as a deterrent for prospective migrant workers coming to New Zealand."

An unprecedented shortfall

The plan to increase visa fees comes as Immigration NZ's accounts show an unprecedented deficit of $43m.

Immigration NZ is a mostly user-pays system, but lost $20m from work visas alone last year, suggesting the price paid for them no longer covered the cost of processing them.

In a Cabinet paper, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway said an increase in migrant trafficking and exploitation was to blame for increasing visa processing costs. Checks were becoming more rigourous, therefore taking longer.

Immigration NZ's memorandum account was set for the $43m deficit by the end of the 2017 financial year.

That was despite investing $140m in technology to move visa processing online.

Immigration NZ deputy chief executive Greg Patchell said without the technology investment, its accounts would have been further in the red and the proposed increase on visas would be higher.

"The changes are actually making it more efficient to process visas, however the risk situation changes, therefore other things come on board at the same time."

Mr Patchell said the increase in visa pricing would not necessarily reduce processing times.

Under the changes, work visas would cost $580 each, up from $370. Along with other changes, such as increasing the cost for employers to gain an accreditation from Immigration by 20 percent, that would balance Immigration NZ's account within three years.

Ministry spokesperson Ruth Isaac said the increased prices would remain low on an international scale.

"We're generally on par at the moment with Canada, lower than the UK and Australia. Even with these increases we're going to remain competitive."

Parliament will vote next month on whether to spread out the changes over three or five years. Visa fees were typically reviewed every three years.

(Source: RNZ)