Migration rules a sign of progress

Migration rules a sign of progress

Changes to Immigration NZ’s the permanent residence rules will help prioritise more highly skilled immigrants, says BusinessNZ.

The Government has announced a slight reduction in residence approvals for the next two years, along with a higher points requirement for the skilled migrants category.

BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope says it’s important that immigration settings allow the entry of skilled migrants while maintaining an overall level of migration that works for New Zealand.

"Increasing the points required by skilled migrants to gain residence from 140 to 160 will help sharpen the annual intake towards higher skilled people.

"It is positive that the Government has taken on board some of the concerns of employers regarding the skill base of those achieving permanent residency status.

"Employers would also like to see more work done on sharpening the system further to ensure that in-demand skills remain a key priority - more work is needed to ensure the criteria weightings of the points under the Skilled Migrant Category deliver long term economic and social benefits to NZ.

"Today’s announcement is an encouraging sign of progress towards a migration system that benefits the workforce and New Zealand generally."

ENDS

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