Article in NZ Herald

evelynne_r · I Like It Here Joined: 25 Jan 2004 Posts: 94

Immigration change 'money-grab'

02.04.2004
By RUTH BERRY political reporter
The Immigration Service has misled aspiring migrants by nearly doubling the points they need to get residency after many had already invested in applications, says National.

At the heart of the problem is the fact that the service filled almost its yearly quota of 27,000 in the first six months of the 2003/04 financial year.

It did so to try to clear a backlog of applications made under the old general skills category, axed overnight last July.

After the operation of a transitional policy, the new skilled migrants category was introduced late last year whereby prospective migrants who believed they had more than 100 points were encouraged to register expressions of interest at a cost of $315.

They go into a pool and, since mid-February, they have been ranked and every two weeks some applicants are selected to apply for residency.

But because only 479 places were left available till the new financial year begins in July, the points required for migrants to be selected have now been pushed up.

For the first three selections, the points were set at 185, 185 and 195 - almost double the amount the service told people they should need to register the expressions.

Immigration Minister Paul Swain admitted this week that the bar was "tough".

He was not commenting yesterday, but is today expected to announce that several hundred more places are now available.

About 3000 expressions of interest have been lodged, however, meaning more than 2000 applicants and their families can expect to miss out.

Expressions of interest expire after three months, but can be resubmitted at further cost.

National immigration spokesman Wayne Mapp and Asian Affairs spokeswoman Pansy Wong say the service should not have encouraged people to lodge expressions of interests when they knew the bar would have to be set well over 100.

Dr Mapp accused it of conducting a "money-grabbing" exercise.

The new system was resulting in many highly skilled and desirable migrants being turned away, he said.

Under the bars now being used, even a 25 year-old with a New Zealand university degree and a job offer would not qualify for residency, he said.

Under the changes, work experience is only recognised from countries which have a "comparable labour market" to New Zealand. Few Asian countries were considered to fit into this category.

Between 42 and 48 per cent of all people selected so far came from Great Britain.

Mrs Wong said she had no doubt the new system had been the Government's reaction to New Zealand First leader Winston Peters' attacks on Asian migration.

rodders · Valued Member Joined: 25 Nov 2003 Posts: 134

the nz government should be ashamed of itself. if a business had perpetrated this, it would be called a scam and they'd be taken to court.

from everything i've read about the current nz government, legal action wouldn't work because they seem to change the law on a week to week basis to suit themselves.

please elect a more honest lot next time around you people who are already in nz.

karltsmith · Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2004 8:24 am Post subject:

Certainly will Rodders but can't until we get PR off this lot....we're stuck with them for the time being!

SoCal Gal · Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2004 9:17 am Post subject: Article

Thank you very much for posting this....I am going to print it out and enclose a copy with my letter to my credit card company requesting my refund for my palty 115 points. I believe this could fall under the category of "fraud". I am bitterly disappointed, will now have to play the behind-the-scene games I have seen others refer to, to go on holiday, line up secret interview, blah-blah....I'm truly upset!

evelynne_r · I Like It Here Joined: 25 Jan 2004 Posts: 94

Hi SoCalGirl,

Sorry to hear you've decided to withdraw your EOI, much as I'm tempted to do so myself. It is a bit sad when you have to resort to bending the rules to get anywhere.

I was going to say that I think NZIS will be in for a bit of a shock once the current EOIs lapse. If current new applications have dropped to only a few hundred and I'm sure that a large proportion of the 2000 odd EOIs they expect to lapse will not bother reapplying they're not going to have nearly enough to fill their new quotas when they come into place in July.

What I'd like to see is NZIS doing the decent thing and giving the first lot of EOIs another three months free of charge before lapsing. But, hey, I can't see that happening.

Good luck with your visit to NZ and hope you soon land a job to gain those extra points.

Evelynne

xanctus · Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2004 9:36 am Post subject:

Well this is very shocking and interesting I must say...

JCM · Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2004 5:23 pm Post subject: Re: Article

karltsmith · Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2004 8:57 pm Post subject:

Probably a good case for a class action me thinks!

As it stands if the points drop by only 5 per fortnight all our paperwork goes out of date (agian and for the third time ****ing time) and we have to start again...so much for the statement back in January by NZIS that 'in the first few months of the scheme consideration would be given to those who have paid for medicals etc which will now go out of date'...fat chance! And so the cycle will continue!

Come on NZIS put your house in order! Set the pool entry level for the first six months of the scheme at 150 and allow six months in it. If you are going to set a level of 100 points it should mean that you will give serious consideration to those who apply at this level. As it stands fraud is the only word for it I'm afraid. Good policy...long term..crap administration I'm afraid!

mse3187 · Testing The Water Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 1

hi evelyn,

I'm very much upset with all this scam happening. I agree with your idea that the NZIS should give the first batch of EOI's another three months to be in the pool, coz I think they did it in purpose to encourage people to lodge their EOI's when they already knew it will not have the chance to be selected. I feel robbed. GRRRRR!!#&*^

mse3187

evelynne_r · I Like It Here Joined: 25 Jan 2004 Posts: 94

Hi mse3187,

Yes, it would be nice if NZIS gave us another three months, but given their announcement yesterday that EOIs in at the beginning will expire on 3 June, it doesn't seem likely :o(

As Karl said, I think the system might work in the long term, but it's really annoying that they're setting it up on our dollar basically.

Good luck anyway.

Evelynne

xanctus · Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2004 3:11 pm Post subject:

yes even if they hold most of the EOIs, but still the way they pick the pooling number is just quite crappy I must say...
from 195, 185, and now 180? so I assume by june would probably 165??? sure 65 points is close enough from 100 pass mark... :?wth....