Migrating New Zealand, Visa Information New Zealand : Migration News New Zealand

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New 2007-8 Migrant Numbers Set With Economy In Mind

5/7/07
The New Zealand Residence Programme for the coming year has been set in a slightly lower band to take account of the continuing strong economy, says Immigration Minister David Cunliffe.

"The number of migrants being sought under the programme in 2007-08 has been set in the range 45,000 to 50,000," Mr Cunliffe said.

"The range for the 12 months to June 30 was 47,000 to 52,000. Current indications are that about 47,000 people will have been approved for residence during that year."

People who wish to migrate to New Zealand must apply under one of the programme's three residence streams: Skilled/Business, Family Sponsored, or International/Humanitarian. Each stream is allocated a percentage of the total number of residence places. The Skilled/Business Stream approvals account for 60 per cent, Family Sponsored 30 per cent and International/ Humanitarian 10 per cent.

"As I have said on a number of occasions recently, with the economy strong and New Zealand competing in a global market for skilled migrants, our top priority at present is ensuring we get high quality migrants while not adding to inflationary pressures”.

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Amendments to reference 80 Concession 06 June 2008

With effect from 06 June 2008, changes will be introduced to the Tariff, Part II, reference 80 concessions that cover the duty free entry of importers' used aircraft, motor vehicles, ships, small ships and household and other effects.

With the exception of reference 80(a) concession for personal effects, the current reference 80 concessions, introduced on 15 November 2007, required, along with the other concession requirements, that the persons have arrived in New Zealand and on the date of arrival held a document authorising residence in New Zealand. This had the effect of excluding from the concession those persons who had the genuine intention of working and living in New Zealand but had arrived into New Zealand without qualifying status.

From 06 June 2008, the wording of reference 80(b), (c), (d) and (e) concessions will be amended to require that the document authorising residence is held on the date of importation of the goods. This has the effect of aligning the concessions more closely with immigration procedures where the majority of the qualifying permits or visas are issued after the person's arrival in New Zealand. It also meets the New Zealand government's intention in relation to migrants.

In addition to the above change, the definition of a document authorising residence has been amended to cover the following.

· A current New Zealand Passport

· A current Australian Passport

· A current New Zealand Residence visa or permit or a current returning resident's visa or permit

· A current permanent residence visa (including a resident return visa) issued by the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia

· A current work visa or work permit that was issued for a minimum of twelve months

· A current work visa or work permit issued under the Work to Residence (Skilled Migrant Category) policy or the Long Term Business Visa/Permit category

· A current visitor's visa or permit that was issued for a minimum of three years.

Changes have also been made to tariff heading 98.05 , covering the importation of household and other effects. The current five tariff items have been revoked and replaced with:

· tariff item 9805.00.15.00K, for effects imported by those persons who meet the terms of reference 80(e) concession,

· tariff item 9805.00.89.00C, to cover effects imported by other persons.

Source: http://www.customs.govt.nz

New housing and migration research released

05 Jun 2008

New research released June 5th, shows there is little evidence that new immigrants drive up local house prices, said Immigration Minister Clayton Cosgrove and Housing Minister Maryan Street.

Mr Cosgrove said the research report - Housing Markets and Migration: Evidence from New Zealand - makes it clear that although a small link between population growth and local house prices was found, the main driver was not new immigrants.

“Interestingly though, the report did find an association between New Zealanders returning home and local house price increases during the period studied, 1986-2006,” he said.

The report was one of two released today by the Department of Labour which investigate the links between housing and migration. The other report, The Economic Impact of Immigration on Housing in New Zealand 1991-2016, looked at links between immigration and housing demand and supply, and gave special attention to trends in Auckland.

Maryan Street said this report showed, for example, that whether people rented or owned a home depended far more on whether they were single or in a relationship than on which country they were born in.

The report also predicts that demand for new dwellings is not expected to exceed supply, though in Auckland particularly there may need to be a shift in the type of new dwellings being built because of growing demand for flats and apartments.

Both research reports form part of the Department of Labour’s three-year research programme, Economic Impacts of Immigration (EII). Housing Markets and Migration: Evidence from New Zealand was prepared by Motu Economic and Public Policy Research, on behalf of the Department of Labour

The Economic Impact of Immigration on Housing in New Zealand 1991-2016 was prepared by BERL, commissioned jointly by the Department of Labour and the Centre for Housing Research Aotearoa New Zealand (CHRANZ).

Source: http://dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2008/migration-housing.asp

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NZ ranks fourth in worldwide peace index

21 May 2008

New Zealand is the fourth most peaceful country in the world, according to the Global Peace Index released by Britain's Economist Intelligence Unit.

The index ranks 140 countries on factors such as military expenditure and respect for human rights.

New Zealand ranked behind Iceland, Denmark and Norway. The United States was 97th, one place lower than last year when the survey began.

"It is clear that small, stable and democratic countries are the most peaceful," the report said, noting that island nations also "generally fare well".

New Zealand's position was described as "lofty".

The report said New Zealand lacked internal conflict and had generally good relations with neighbouring countries. The report did not mention the raids on alleged weapons training camps in the Bay of Plenty last year.

"Measures of safety and security such as the level of violent crime, the likelihood of violent demonstrations and the number of homicides receive very low scores, unchanged from last year."

However, violent crime in New Zealand and the number of jailed population per 100,000 is higher than in the five Nordic nations surveyed.

New Zealand's military expenditure as a percentage of GDP is low, and notably lower than Australia's, the report said.

The United Kingdom ranked 49th, just below Panama. Unsurprisingly, Sudan, Somalia and Iraq are at the bottom of the list.

The idea for the index came from Steve Killelea, an Australian businessman and philanthropist who wanted to identify just what creates a peaceful country.

"The US does so badly because has the highest proportion of jailed people in the world. And it has high levels of homicide and high potential for terrorist attacks," Killelea told The Associated Press. "Its overall score is a reflection of that. The index is not making any moral statements by the ranking."

US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the America's ranking reflects its role as a protector of democracy.

The Top 10 most peaceful countries:

1. Iceland
2. Denmark
3. Norway
4. New Zealand
5. Japan
6. Ireland
7. Portugal
8. Finland
9. Luxembourg
10. Austria

Source: www.stuff.co.nz

Immigration Advisory Authority Officially launched

6/05/2008

The Immigration Advisors Authority was officially launched by Immigration Minister Clayton Cosgrove on the 5^th May, spelling out new rules for Immigration Advisors. Speaking from the official Launch of The Immigration Advisers Authority, Registrar Barry Smedts says the licensing of immigration advisers will protect migrants and advisers alike, as well as enhance New Zealand's reputation as a quality destination.

"Previously, we have had an unregulated environment where anyone could call themselves an immigration adviser and offer advice whether or not they knew anything about immigration requirements," says Mr Smedts.

"There have been plenty of examples over the years of a few rogue operators destroying the financial and personal hopes of potential immigrants to New Zealand through fraudulent, corrupt and unethical means, by masquerading as qualified and competent immigration advisers.

"Now we have a licensing regime in place which will not only protect vulnerable migrants, but also enhance the reputation of the industry."

The Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 requires anyone providing New Zealand immigration advice to be licensed by May 4, 2009, meeting competency standards and adhering to a code of conduct. There are numerous categories for exemption. Individuals or family members passing on publicly-available information on immigration do not need to be licensed. Penalties include up to seven years imprisonment and/or fines up to $100,000 for non-licensed offenders, as well as the possibility of court-ordered reparation payments. For licensed advisers, there are penalties of up to two years imprisonment and/or fines of up to $10,000 for breaches of the Act. For immigration advisers based outside of New Zealand, licensing will be mandatory from 4 May 2010. Licensing for advisers both on and off-shore will be administered by the Immigration Advisers Authority, an independent authority located in Auckland. Mr Smedts emphasises that the vast majority of immigration advisers are good, ethical and reliable professional advisers, but the few rogue operators have caused such damage that licensing of the profession is necessary to protect both migrants and the profession itself.

"Now, migrants can be confident they are getting the correct and best information, whether they work with a licensed Adviser," says Mr Smedts. "Creating professional standards for Immigration Advisers will help protect migrants against poor advice or unprofessional behaviour. "Equally, immigration advisers who give their clients sound advice and professional service will also benefit, through new continuing professional development programmes, and recognition of their work in a regulated profession". The Authority will keep a publicly available register of licensed immigration advisers and establish a complaints procedure. Detailed information on the Authority is available at www.iaa.govt.nz.

More Migrants now Using Agents

It now seems a growing number of migrants to New Zealand are using agents compared to last year’s figures according to the latest Destination New Zealand reader survey. 47.1% of readers now say they are using an immigration consultant for their applications.

The Destination New Zealand reader survey looked at various issues of the immigration process including demographics, family factors, motivations and the immigration process. Other significant trends for New Zealand include longer decision time for deciding what city to live in and employment being high motivation for regional choice in addition to being the greatest emigration fear.

Most respondents indicated that the WAITING was the most difficult part of the process. Therefore, there is a strong case for using an immigration consultant, who can help the applicant AVOID DELAYS and assist with QUICKER PROCESSING by presenting a 100% correct and complete application.

Secondly, the application process and preparing paperwork was also perceived to be a difficult part of the process. Again, there is a strong case for IMMIGRATION CONSULTANTS who can make the application process smoother and clearer and provide personalised assistance and representation in this bureaucratic process.

Source: Destination New Zealand January 07, Outbound Publishing

Salary and wage rates increase by record amount

Wage and salary increases continue to put pressure on inflation, figures out today from Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) show.

The Labour Cost Index (LCI) recorded an increase of 3.4 per cent in salary and wage rates, including overtime, for the March 2008 year.

That matched the annual increase for the December year, and was the highest annual increase recorded since the series began in the December 1992 quarter, SNZ said.

The overtime-included LCI increase for the March 2008 quarter was 0.7 per cent, down from the previous two increases of 1.1 per cent and 0.9 per cent in the December 2007 and September 2007 quarters, respectively.

The Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) showed a 4.6 per cent annual increase in average total hourly earnings to $23.66, as the annual increase in total gross earnings exceeded the annual increase in total paid hours.

Total gross earnings increased 7.5 per cent for the March 2008 year, the QES showed.

That was up from the 7 per cent increase in the December year and was indicative of continued strength in earnings growth, SNZ said.

Employment, as measured by full-time equivalent employees increased 3.2 per cent for the March 2008 year, driven by a 4 per cent increase in full time employment.

In the March quarter the number of filled jobs fell 2.4 per cent to 1.7 million, according to the QES, mainly due to the seasonal influence of the education industry.

Part time employment showed a seasonal decrease of 7.6 per cent in the quarter while full-time employment was unchanged.

For the quarter the increase in average total hourly earnings was 1.5 per cent, as shown by the QES, compared to 1 per cent and 1.3 per cent in the previous two quarters.

Seasonally adjusted total gross earnings in the QES were up 1.3 per cent for the March quarter.

QES average earnings statistics reflect not only changes in pay rates, but also compositional and other changes across and within the paid workforce.

In comparison, the LCI measures changes in the salary and wage rates for a fixed quantity and quality of labour.

According to the LCI, in the year to the March 2008 quarter, public sector salary and wage rates, including overtime, were up 3.3 per cent. The local government sector was up 4.9 per cent, while central government lifted 3.1 per cent.

For the March quarter salary and wage rates, including overtime, for the public sector were up 0.8 per cent.

Private sector overtime-included rates in the LCI were up 3.5 per cent for the year, the largest annual increase since the series started in 1992.

For the quarter the increase in private sector rates, including overtime, was 0.7 per cent, down on the 1.1 per cent in the December quarter, which was the largest since the series started, and the 0.9 per cent in the September quarter.

Source: NZ Herald

Housing update – 2008 looking good for buyers

April 2008

The New Zealand property market became a buyers market in January 2008 with low sales and a sharp increase in days to sell figures.

As a result the national median price suffered further erosion, down from NZ$345,000 in December to NZ$340,000 in January.

Although January is a traditionally weak month, sales appear to be unusually low and the number of days to sell climbed to 49, the highest since January 2002 (52 days).

Real Estate Institute of New Zealand National President Murray Cleland said that the latest figures suggested prices were going backwards, although January was the worst month for such interpretations because of its unusual nature.

“But is clear from the days to sell and low sales volumes that there is a growing tension between the prices vendors are seeking and what buyers are offering – buyers have been quick to sense that the market is weakening and they are ready to take advantage of that situation”.

Auckland appears to have suffered the most considerable falls with the median price falling from $460,000 in December 2007 to $432,750 in January for the Auckland region, with Auckland city median decreasing from $510,000 in December to $433,000 in January.

Southland is continuing its strong growth with the largest increase from $191,000 to $225,000 and an annual median price growth of 44.23 per cent.

Source: New Zealand Outlook, April 2008

INZ changes to the Skilled Migrant Category effective 4th Feb
01/02/2008

Changes to the Skilled Migrant Category that were deferred in November 2007 will take effect from February 4th, 2008.

The changes will affect the way in which INZ assess an applicant's job or job offer in New Zealand as skilled, and the level required to claim qualification points.

From February 26th, the new basis for assessing an applicant's job or job offer as 'skilled employment' will be the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). This list of occupations will indicate a 'skill level' for occupations, including a description of the core tasks, and the qualifications and/or work experience needed for a person to do the job.

For more information please visit INZ - http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/general/generalinformation/news/4feb.htm

Are you eligible to emigrate? Find out now. Click here for a FREE initial immigration assessment provided by the Migration Bureau (officially recognised immigration and visa consultants). For information on the Migration Bureau Click here.

HIGH FAILURE RATE - Do not apply to immigration authorities directly or online YOURSELF - seek professional advice first

18/01/2008

Industry feedback has indicated that an estimated 30% of all applicants who lodge their application online and directly with the immigration authorities get it WRONG AND FAIL because they did not use a registered migration agent to compile and double check their application and immigration eligibility first.

It is estimated that a further 20% of applicants who do not use an agent become confused and frustrated with the application process and find it difficult or impossible to get answers to their specific concerns or questions from the immigration authorities. As a result, they unnecessarily drop out of the application process.

Overall, this equates to an estimated up to 50% FAILURE RATE for "do-it-yourself" applicants applying directly to the immigration authorities.

This compares with a SUCCESS RATE OF 98.5% for applicants that apply through officially-recognised migration agencies such as the Migration Bureau.

Grant King of the Migration Bureau, one of the largest international immigration agencies, commented that "We believe this failure and drop out rate is unacceptably high. Every day we receive many concerning phone calls from applicants who have tried to apply online or directly with the immigration authorities and have got it wrong. Many fail outright. They are generally very stressed and are frustrated by the delays and problems that this causes, not to mention left out of pocket. We are able to assist at this late stage, but it is more difficult and time-consuming to correct an incomplete or incorrect application. Additionally, it is difficult to go back to re-lodge or change an application after an original submission has already been made to the authorities. It is also more expensive".

"We want to protect applicants from these risks and ensure that applicants secure the right of residence that they are entitled to in the quickest possible time. To do so, the key is for new settlers to use an officially -recognised agent BEFORE applying and to instruct the agent to compile, double-check and lodge your online or physical residence visa application on your behalf - this will avoid unnecessary delays and risk, and means that you will receive your visas as soon as possible, and not be one of the thousands of applicants who are unnecessarily refused every year. So the moral of the story is to get it right the first time" said Mr King.

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Applying under the Skilled Migrant has always been the most popular visa class for permanent residency in New Zealand. For you to migrate under the Skilled Migrant Category you will have to meet certain conditions and meet the points threshold.

If you would like to find out the current threshold and more about points information please click here.

If you would like to know if you meet these pass marks, we will work it out for you for FREE. Click here to complete a free initial immigration eligibility assessment provided by the Migration Bureau (officially recognised immigration and visa consultants).

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Which Occupations are in Demand?

Applying under skill categories has always been the most popular visa class for permanent residency in New Zealand.

Points are awarded for an offer of employment in New Zealand, work experience, qualifications and age. Bonus points are available for employment in areas of identified future growth, cluster or absolute skill shortages. Bonus points are also available for employment outside Auckland and for New Zealand qualifications.

The key to success under this class is meeting the prerequisites as outlined above AND arranging a relevant, valid skilled job offer in New Zealand.

If you are interested in migrating as a skilled migrant and you would like to find out if your occupation is listed on the New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations list (NZSCO) as a skilled occupation please click here.