New Zealand raises visa requirements for foreign job seekers, move likely to affect Indians
- After Australia and Canada tightened visa rules to curb the number of immigrants, New Zealand has also raised the requirements for foreigners to qualify for jobs in the country
After Australia and Canada tightened visa rules to curb the number of immigrants, New Zealand has also raised the requirements for foreigners to qualify for jobs in the country.
The move is likely to affect Indians seeking employment in New Zealand.
With the new visa guidelines, the New Zealand government aims to control the influx of migrants deemed 'unsuitable' for entry into the nation.
The new guidelines include the introduction of English language proficiency, work experience, and skill criteria. It also reduces the duration of stay with a work visa to 3 years from 5 years.
Erica Stanford, New Zealand’s Immigration Minister, announced the amendments to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) on Sunday.
Introduced in 2022 to alleviate workforce shortages due to the pandemic and lockdowns, AEWV serves as the main temporary work visa.
"The Government is focused on attracting and retaining highly skilled migrants, such as secondary teachers, where there is a skill shortage," Erica Stanford said in a statement. "At the same time, we need to ensure that New Zealanders are given priority for jobs where there are no skill shortages."
Stanford also mentioned that the visa restrictions would be beneficial for migrant rights.
The new rules may inevitably make it harder for Indians and other immigrants from countries outside the Anglosphere to come and work in New Zealand.
According to data on ENZ.org (a New Zealand government affiliate), approximately 18,000 Indians have migrated to the country since 2011.
The NZ census of 2018 showed that Indians account for about 4.7 percent of the total New Zealand population.
In October 2023, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that New Zealand has approximately 250,000 persons of Indian origin and NRIs (non-resident Indians), most of whom are settled there permanently.
Last year, a near-record 173,000 people migrated to New Zealand, which has a population of about 5.1 million, the statement said.
Earlier, Australia had announced that it would halve its migrant intake over the next two years.