When the Immigration Minister reads the Productivity Commission’s immigration inquiry, he’ll find numerous suggestions that National have long been calling for, National’s Immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford says.

“This morning’s report supports National’s calls for faster visa processing times, more certainty for migrants in their pathway to residency, and to decouple workers from employers to prevent exploitation, reduce bureaucracy and increase productivity.

“The Government launched the inquiry to better understand what immigration settings would best facilitate New Zealand’s long-term economic growth. Despite that, they didn’t even wait to view the Commission’s findings before finalising their own Immigration rebalance. Labour has again shown a complete disregard for taxpayer money and ignored the work of a Commission that receives $5 million of funding every year.

"New Zealand urgently needs to get our Immigration settings right. Last week, Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr said that ‘scarcity of labour is the number one constraint on economic activity’.

“Labour’s failure to deliver the skilled migrants this country needs is reducing productivity, driving up prices and making the cost of living crisis even worse.

“The Commission also contested Labour’s argument that low-skilled migrants are reducing wages. In stark contrast, the report says ‘immigration is not driving down wages or replacing local workers’.

“The Government's Immigration rebalance has wholly failed to lay the foundations that will ensure our immigration settings support New Zealand’s prosperity.

“This is demonstrated by the fact that this Government believes that nurses, midwives and teachers are not critical enough to be on the ‘straight to residence pathway’. Many will choose more attractive destinations while Kiwis continue to grapple with crippling shortages.”

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