Yet another article

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

On www.stuff.co.nz and in the Dominion Post

Almost 500 migrants have been granted residency under a policy aiming to attract skilled workers to the provinces – but immigration authorities have no idea how many are living outside Auckland.

The first applicants under the skilled migrant category were approved in March. Since then 489 people have been allowed to stay in New Zealand permanently.

Two-thirds are from Britain and 29 from Asian countries.

The skilled migrant category was introduced a year ago by then immigration minister Lianne Dalziel, who said it aimed to end the problem of migrants having to drive taxis or cook hamburgers because they could not find work suited to their qualifications.

Under the new policy, priority would be given to applicants with job offers, skills New Zealand was short of, and those willing to settle outside Auckland.

The changes were expected to make it more difficult for many Asian applicants to gain residency.

An Immigration Service spokeswoman said another 7800 people had been "invited to apply" for residency and were going through the approval process.

Sixty per cent of those selected to apply had said they were prepared to live outside Auckland, she said.

However, because the category was so new, the service did not yet have statistics on how many of those who had been approved were living in other areas.

Applicants need 150 points to be considered for selection, making about 1250 people eligible among existing applications, Immigration Service figures show.

Of those in the selection pool, the biggest nationality groups are from Britain (27 per cent), China (20 per cent) and India (11 per cent).

Immigration Minister Paul Swain said the Government was focusing on quality, not quantity of applicants. Skilled and business migrants would make up about 60 per cent of the immigration target of 50,000 new residents in the next 12 months.

However, the number of points required before a migrant could apply for residency was being lowered.

"Given New Zealand's tight labour market and demand both for and from skilled workers, the Immigration Service will be aiming to approve applications to the upper end of the range."

Wellington immigration consultants contacted by The Dominion Post said none of their clients had so far been granted residency under the skilled migrants category, though several had been invited to apply.

The majority of those invited to apply were already working in New Zealand, they said.

Immigration consultants Malcolm Pacific Wellington manager Chris McCarthy said some applicants with relevant skills were unable to gain enough points because the qualifications bar was set too high.

Among those affected were fitters and turners, welders and carpenters, even though New Zealand had shortages in those fields, he said.

The stricter criteria were deterring people from applying and the selection process was taking months.

"You have to wonder, are jobs held open for that long?"

It makes you wonder what the media backlash would have been had they lapsed the EOIs after three months!!

Evelynne

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

wilson182 · Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:05 am Post subject:

Thats the way we did it. Hubby is a welder, as far as we were concerned it was the only way to do it.

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