Migrant worker representatives have condemned recent visa rule changes as “heart-wrenching” and “ruthless and insensitive.”
The government announced that Accredited Employer Visa (AEWV) holders at Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) levels 4 and 5, without a pathway to residency, can no longer support visa applications for their partners and dependent children.
Immigration NZ stated the adjustments align with broader changes to the AEWV scheme and revert settings similar to the previous Essential Skills Work Visa.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford had indicated in February the urgent need for these changes, aiming to balance the need for highly skilled workers with the country’s capacity to provide necessary infrastructure and services. Applications already submitted for partners or children will not be affected.
The Union Network of Migrants, part of FIRST Union, criticised the abrupt policy change in which there was no consultation with affected groups.
Coordinator Mikee Santos told state media the changes would disrupt migrant workers’ long-term plans and create emotional and financial distress. Santos accused politicians of exploiting migrant labour during times of need and abandoning them during austerity.
A review of the AEWV scheme by the Public Service Commission revealed issues such as migrants buying jobs and subsequent exploitation, non-payment of wages, and unqualified employers receiving accreditation. The scheme, introduced by the previous Labour government in 2022, aimed to curb migrant exploitation post-Covid-19 border closures but had the reverse effect.
Image credit: Matthew Smith
Homeless kiwis lie shivering in sleeping bags each night throughout ALL our major cities. Why should we concern ourselves with the plight of others far away overseas, when our own people are struggling?
The previous essential skills work visa rules were already very liberal, perhaps even TOO liberal (as evidenced by just how much our tiny country has changed in the last 15 years).
Labour basically said “welcome” and kicked both the front gates open. Now that a new government wants to close just one of those gates just a little, it’s the end of the world.
F-off. Nobody has a right to demand to be let in. If you don’t want your family split up, don’t come here. The end.
We have 90,000 unemployed in this country. We don’t need migrant workers. We don’t need the fraud and corruption they bring with them.
So the changes would disrupt migrant workers’ long-term plans and create emotional and financial distress? Why should we worry about migrant workers plans and emotional distress when we have thousands of New Zealanders suffering the same – mostly because of migrant workers. Santos accused politicians of exploiting migrant labour during times of need and abandoning them during austerity. Yes Mr Santos, that’s the way the world works. If your own country can’t provide work and living conditions suitable to yourselves, get up on your hind legs and do something about it instead of trying to manipulate the system here.