There’s always a honeymoon period for any new Government, and Iain Lees-Galloway is clearly still enjoying his - even though he says he has inherited an under-funded system failing to deal with widespread immigration fraud and exploitation of migrants. He pops out to his office’s reception to provide a warm welcome, as he enthusiastically relays how exhausting the new job is and how pleased he was with how he handled his first question from the Opposition in the House. He doubts they will be asking another any time soon. The Palmerston North MP is now a Cabinet Minister after nine years on those Opposition benches. Holding the portfolios of immigration, ACC, and workplace relations and safety, he has already been in the media spotlight with the latter as the Government pushes through an extension to paid parental leave under urgency. But, while all three areas will be busy, it is likely to be immigration that becomes his most difficult, and contentious, job. Before the election campaign, New Zealand’s record net migration levels were a hot topic. The previous Government was reluctant to change much but took to tinkering around the edges with the introduction of new salary bands for skilled migrants. At the other end of the spectrum New Zealand First leader Winston Peters was calling for a drop from the then-record level of 72,000 arrivals a year to 10,000. For several months Labour deflected calls for it to reveal its plans in the area, before finally revealing proposals that fell somewhere in the middle. Removing the work rights for students during and after study was one of the linchpins, along with regionalising the work visa skills shortage lists. The party estimated that its proposals would reduce net migration by between 20,000 and 30,000 per year. That figure constantly came back to dog Labour and continues to do so even now. "It would have been ludicrous to stand up in front of a media pack and say we’re going to make all these changes but we don’t know what the impact of it all will be.” But Lees-Galloway regrets nothing. “I don’t regret it at all, because we knew we were going to be asked by the media. The media were always going to ask and I don’t begrudge them that, it’s a perfectly legitimate question to ask - ‘What’s the impact of your policy?’. “We needed to be able to demonstrate we’d done some thinking about that. It would have been ludicrous to stand up in front of a media pack and say we’re going to make all these changes but we don’t know what the impact of it all will be.” Alongside trimming the numbers, another priority for the new Minister is reducing migrant exploitation. It will be a challenge. Lack of enforcement New Zealand’s immigration system is soft, and people know it, Lees-Galloway says. He says he was shocked to discover how little fraud and migrant exploitation was being investigated. In a briefing he received as incoming minister, he was told that in 2015/2016 Immigration New Zealand (INZ) only had the capacity to investigate a third of cases that met its criteria. But in 2016/17 that number plunged to just 18 percent after the number of reported cases almost doubled. Over the past five months, the number of cases continued to skyrocket, Lees-Galloway says. “That is allowing a whole lot of bad behaviour to carry on and the result of that is you’ve got undetected migrant exploitation, you’ve got a visa system that lacks integrity.” He says the problem is a simple one: money, or lack of it. In 2015 the total immigration budget was $235 million, rising to $262m in 2016 and $295m this year. But there has been no increase in INZ’s capacity to investigate these cases, and dodgy employers know it. This has led to a lack of faith with the system and people treating the system with disdain because they know they can get away with it, Lees-Galloway says. “That is allowing a whole lot of bad behaviour to carry on and the result of that is you’ve got undetected migrant exploitation, you’ve got a visa system that lacks integrity.” Fixing things will not be straightforward, he claims. He says new Ministers across the board are discovering similar fiscal problems and are in the process of looking at areas where money can be shifted from one department to another. “I’m going to have to have some very frank conversations with the Minister of Finance but unfortunately all of us are finding this in all of our portfolios, we have huge unallocated capital spend, promises made by the previous Government that they just didn’t set aside any money for. “We’ve got a real challenge on our hands to, first of all, follow through on what the previous Government said they were going to do...and also making the improvements that we know need to make.” Visas locked to the regions If Lees-Galloway thinks finding extra money for INZ will be challenging, then diverting people away from Auckland will be even more so. More than half of new arrivals head to our biggest city, leaving its infrastructure groaning under the pressure. The most recent immigration figures show a slight softening of net migration to 70,700, but Lees-Galloway says he will be pushing forward with all of Labour’s pre-election policies. He’s also reviewing the previous Government’s most recent changes that he was unenthusiastic about, including the salary bands and the three-year limit for those that don’t reach them. To get more skilled migration to the regions he will develop, if Cabinet agrees, a localised skill shortage list, likely at a Regional Council level. This list would have a lower threshold than the national list, allowing individual regions to attract workers in specific industries. “We’d say ‘Right, if you’ve come to New Zealand and you’ve got a temporary visa by virtue of having a skill that is needed in Southland then your visa is valid as long as you live and work in Southland’. That should hopefully take some pressure off Auckland and also help the regions get the people they need.” “What’s happening is people are continuously rolling over their visa, staying in New Zealand for nine, ten, eleven years or more with no pathway to residency which is unreasonable ..." Lees-Galloway believes that too many people with low-skills are currently being allowed in under the ANZSCO (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations) system - something he describes as “not great, but all we’ve got” - but he is sympathetic to the plight of at least one industry. The aged care sector has waived a red flag, warning of the potential damage from immigration changes for an industry reliant on migrant labour. With one estimate putting the demand in the growing sector at an extra 10,000 jobs a year, Lees-Galloway admits that it will likely need to still rely to some extent on foreign labour. While the wage boost from the Equal Pay Act could attract more New Zealanders, he says that if an industry can prove it has a programme to encourage locals into the industry and provide them with a career path but still can’t find the workers, then it will be allowed to source some from overseas. For those that do arrive in New Zealand with the desired skills, they could find a different pathway to residency than a continuous temporary visa roll-over - something Lees Galloway wants to fix. “The previous Government decided to deal with that by saying 'after three years you leave'. That’s dumb, it’s a bit blunt in my mind. “What’s happening is people are continuously rolling over their visa, staying in New Zealand for nine, ten, eleven years or more with no pathway to residency which is unreasonable to the person because if you’ve been here for ten years then maybe we do need your skill.” To read the actual article, click here.
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A secret tightening up of visa criteria is under way and and Indian applicants are feeling targeted, according to an immigration advisers' group.
Based on official statistics from July to October this year, the annual increase in work visa refusals is 42 percent across all nationalities and 80 percent for Indian nationals. But Immigration New Zealand (INZ), citing earlier full-year figures, disputes that and says there has been no change in the way it assesses visa applications. Association of Migration and Investment policy director Richard Small said a sharp increase in rejections of certain work visas had also led to a large increase in appeals. Mr Small, a Wellington immigration lawyer, said some communities were sensing discrimination. "Official information requests have shown a dramatic increase in certain groups being refused visas." he said. "There's been a tightening in approach that has not been reflected in official instructions. "Indian requesters for visas who do not have current visas - they're being refused at record levels. For some groups of migrants it is a very desperate landscape." In a statement, INZ area manager Marcelle Foley, said there had been no change to its assessments. "Every application is robustly assessed against the relevant immigration instructions. "It is not correct to state that that there has been a sharp fall in the number of post-study work visas or in work visa approvals for Indian nationals. "The number of post-study work visa applications for Indian nationals has grown in each of the last three financial years as it has for all nationalities. The decline rate for last year was just over 5 percent - lower than the figure for 2012/13 and 2013/14." Ms Foley said there had been an increase in visa volumes in the past two years and a corresponding rise in section 61 requests - appeals for those who have been turned down for a visa. "Between 1 November 2015 and 31 October 2016 there were 649 section 61 requests from Indian nationals with 357 granted work visas. "Between 1 November 2016 and 31 October this year there were 1174 section 61 requests from Indian nationals with 324 granted work visas." But Mr Small said there was a wide gap between what INZ was saying and what immigrants and their advisers were seeing. He described some of the methods used to cut down on unwanted applications as "under the table" such as unattainable timeframes for information requests, pedantic queries and changes to how INZ assesses sustainability of employment. He said the number of rejections had increased, particularly in the lead-up to and after the election, and especially in graduate work visas. The association drew up figures under the Official Information Act showing approvals under the section 61 appeals also fell during the last year. Figures show in the three months to September, 900 of the 3000 requests under section 61 were from Indian nationals. To read the actual article, click here After eight years in New Zealand, Dinesha Amarasinghe, her husband and her three sons have been told they will be deported back to Sri Lanka because Dinesha has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. They've been here eight years. The three boys — aged 8, 10 and 11 — don't speak Sri Lankan. They speak English, and according to one of the school mums, they play a mean game of cricket too. They are Kiwi kids. The family is hard-working, apparently. They help at school, they volunteer in the Queenstown community and the children are doing very well at school. But Dinesha's MS diagnosis means they'll be sent back to Sri Lanka. Their visas have been revoked. They'll be sent back to a country the children don't know, and where the medicine Dinesha needs can't be accessed. Queenstown locals took to the streets yesterday. Several hundred people marched through the centre saying the family was a valuable part of the community and urged authorities to re-think their stance. An appeal has been lodged against their deportation, but the family can't work because their visas have been revoked — and the community is asking for the husband, Sam, to be issued a short-term work visa so that he can at least support his family while the appeal is being heard. Cases like this are difficult. People will argue they set a precedent. But I've always been uncomfortable with opening our borders to people until they get sick. And then we send them packing. Dinesha developed MS since living in New Zealand. She didn't come here with MS. She's not what you call a medical tourist who came here purely in the hope of seeking treatment on our health system. The family has been here for eight years and are contributing to our economy — and judging by the hundreds who walked through Queenstown's streets yesterday to show their support, they are a much-loved and valued family in the community. Keep going, Queenstown. No-one achieved anything by sitting on the fence. Keep showing your compassion. Keep fighting the fight. It doesn't feel very Kiwi to march this family to the border and send Dinesha, her husband and her three promising young sons on their way, purely because Dinesha has developed MS. Maybe we should be change the sign at border control. You're welcome, until you get sick. And then we'll send you packing. Let's see what people power can do in Queenstown. I'm with the locals. The family has been here eight years. I think they should stay. To read the actual article, click here An Auckland woman has been sentenced to 10 months home detention and ordered to pay $6420 reparation for illegally providing New Zealand immigration advice in the Tongan community. Maria 'Ilaisaane Valu-Pome'e, who is of Tongan nationality, was sentenced in the Waitakere District Court after pleading guilty to 14 charges laid by the Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA). An IAA investigation found the former lawyer was providing New Zealand immigration advice without holding a licence or having an exempt status, IAA registrar Catherine Albiston said. Valu-Pome'e was charged with 10 counts under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 for providing immigration advice without a licence, for holding herself out as a licensed immigration adviser, and for asking for or receiving a fee. She was also charged with four charges under the Crimes Act 1961, two for using forged documentation and two for dishonestly using documents. Valu-Pome'e was previously exempt from the requirement to be licensed. However, after her practicing certificate from the New Zealand Law Society expired in July 2013, she no longer qualified for the exemption to provide immigration advice. "Mrs Valu-Pome'e provided immigration advice illegally to members of the Tongan community, including a Greymouth family, a couple, and a mother and daughter based in Auckland. "All of the victims were unlawfully residing in New Zealand when they finished their dealings with Mrs Valu-Pome'e. She didn't successfully obtain a visa for any of them," Albiston said. "This case serves as a strong reminder the IAA will not tolerate those who provide unlawful New Zealand immigration advice at the expense of vulnerable communities." The IAA ran a campaign earlier this year to raise awareness among Pacific communities in New Zealand, as well as in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, that unlawful immigration advice can cause significant stress and problems for visa applicants. "Anyone seeking immigration advice should use a licensed adviser or someone who is exempt, such as a current New Zealand lawyer," Albiston said. A register of licensed advisers is available on the IAA website. The IAA investigates complaints made by the public about unlicensed immigration advice. Individuals found breaking the law can face up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. "Anyone can talk to the IAA about their experience without their immigration status being affected," Albiston said. To read the actual article, visit here. Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway said the labour market test needs to be tightened up.25/11/2017 The government plans to crack down on work visas, saying a lax approach means New Zealand workers are missing out. Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway said the labour market test, which enables employers to recruit an immigrant only once they have tried to find a New Zealand worker, needs to be tightened up. He added that it meant companies had not been forced to train their own staff. But employers say they are already struggling to find skilled workers and tightening the rules could make the situation worse. Tommy Ning, the manager The Mustard Seed restaurant in central Auckland, said it was difficult to find qualified Malaysian chefs locally. He often resorts to hiring foreign students who are willing to work hard. "Our staff is from Malaysia, we hire a lot of students as part-timers and we train them ... after a few years and at the time that they're qualified they will work here full-time," he said. One of Labour's election promises was to cut the number of new immigrants by up to 30,000 a year by tightening rules around student and work visas. Mr Lees-Galloway, who is also the Workplace Relations and Safety Minister, stressed there was no specific target but that the overall aim is to improve the immigration system. He said that includes cracking down on rogue employers and education providers as well as the changes to the labour market test. "I do not think we have applied [the labour market test] nearly stringently enough and when you look at the fact we've got nearly 70,000 who are not in employment or training, I do not believe that there isn't a pool of workers who could be taking up some of those jobs," he said. The Restaurant Association's chief executive Marisa Bidois, said it was already working with Work and Income to help unemployed New Zealanders get into the hospitality industry. But making the rules even stricter could make hiring in the industry hard, and they were still feeling the effects from the changes the previous government brought in. "Tourism is growing, don't put the brakes on an industry that's growing right now," she said. "Support and listen to business owners and I'm sure we'll be able to come up with a solution." Meanwhile, the Immigration Minister also plans to double the labour inspectorate so it can proactively open investigations into immigrant exploitation. Mr Lees-Galloway said staff tell him they are only able to look into two-thirds of cases they want to investigate. To read the actual article, visit here Changes to Immigration Policy is not included in 'First 100 Days' plan of new NZ government23/11/2017 Migration to New Zealand remains high, but is down more than two percent from the peak reached earlier this year. For the year ended October there was a net migration gain 70,700, the lowest annual tally in 10 months. The number of permanent migrants peaked at 72,400 in July. However, the fall was mostly due to the record 27,400 non-citizens who left New Zealand in the year ending in October. "Given that the surge in foreign arrivals began in 2013, we have been expecting to see a corresponding surge in departures," Westpac senior economist Satish Ranchhod said. "This trend looks likely to continue for some time yet, and will drive a substantial downturn in total net migration over the coming year." Mr Ranchhod said changes to policy by the incoming government would add to the natural slowdown. Westpac has forecast immigration gains to fall to about 10,000 by 2021, which would reduce population growth and economic activity. Statistics New Zealand said the high net migration was still being driven by the arrival of non-citizen immigrants. It said a seasonally adjusted 5580 people settled here in the month of October, the first rise in three months. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the government's changes to immigration would not be part of its 'First 100 Days' plan, but work was under way. "Focus for us of course was on the settings, so a lot of a discussion around the numbers, [but] for us it was about making sure that those who choose to call New Zealand home are getting the best opportunity possible," she said. "That means making sure the work - that they've had an undertaking is available - is available, and that our students in particular aren't being exploited." Visitor numbers to New Zealand were also breaking records, rising eight percent last month compared from the year earlier. Arrivals from Australia over the past year rose five percent, with visitors from the United States also up strongly over the year before. To read the actual article, click here A church pastor has been sentenced to home detention for lying to Immigration New Zealand, but says he was only acting "for the love of God". Faaofo Fomai and his church, the Everlasting Gospel Church, had both pleaded guilty to four charges of supplying information to an immigration officer knowing it to be false or misleading. They were sentenced in Hastings District Court on Wednesday. Fomai was sentenced to six months' home detention. The church was fined $2000. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years' prison or a fine of $100,000. The charges related to Fomai's dealings with a Samoan police officer, Uasi Siatulau, whom he promised a job as a youth pastor in his Hawke's Bay church. Fomai is the reverend minister of the church, which since mid-2013 held Sunday services for a small number of Samoan families in Flaxmere. In 2015 Fomai offered Samoan policeman Uasi Siatulau work as a Youth Pastor at the church and sponsored him for a work visa as a religious worker. This was despite Fomai knowing that the charity could not afford to employ Siatulau. In order to secure the visa for Siatulau, Fomai wrote to Immigration NZ to say the church charity would pay him $700 to $800 a fortnight. Siatulau wanted to bring his wife and four children with him to New Zealand but was told by INZ that he would need to earn more than the charity was paying. So Fomai wrote to INZ saying the salary had increased to $1350 to $1400 a fortnight. The family was granted two-year work visas. When the family arrived in New Zealand they were housed at Fomai's home address. It soon became apparent that Fomai and the charity would not pay the family, and Siatulau began working in an orchard in order to provide for his family. At the end of October, 2015 the family left Fomai's house and stopped attending the church. Siatulau continued working and the family had another child. When INZ became aware of the situation in mid-2016, it advised Siatulau that he would have to resume his work as a youth pastor. He did so, but a month later Fomai told INZ that Siatulau was no longer suitable to be employed. In June 2016 INZ made him liable for deportation. When interviewed by INZ, Fomai admitted sending letters to INZ saying the charity would pay the salary, but he also said the charity had actually never any intention of paying a salary. Fomai apologised for his actions and, according to a summary of facts, said that he had acted in the way he had "for the love of God", and he wanted to help people come to work. Siatulau and his family were deported in April this year after an unsuccessful appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal. INZ assistant general manager Peter Devoy said the prosecution showed that the organisation took this type of offending seriously. "The overriding principle is that migrant workers have the same employment rights as all other workers in New Zealand and we will not hesitate to prosecute in cases where warranted," Devoy said. To read the actual article, click here. Resident Visa It has been quite confusing for anyone who wants to immigrate to New Zealand when he or she hears "resident visa" and "permanent resident visa". Are they same or different? Everyone who wants to immigrate to NZ applies for "resident visa" first. None applies for "permanent resident visa" straight. You need to get the resident visa first then when you fulfil some conditions you can apply for the permanent resident visa. When you are granted a resident visa, you may stay in NZ as long as you want, in fact permanently. The visa does not expire nor need to be renewed. You will have the same rights and privileges as an NZ citizen except for a few exceptions. For example, you can not vote until you live in NZ for at least 12 months. You will not be able to apply for a social benefit for the two years. As a resident visa holder, you pay the same tax rates as any NZ citizens do. You can buy houses and access to the education system as NZ citizens, so you don't pay international student fee. Hence when you apply for Skill Migrant Category Resident Visa or Investor 1 or 2 Visa category, when your application is approved, you will be issued with a resident visa. The visa label will be placed on your passport (see below). If your visa is granted off-shore, it will have two important conditions. The first condition is "First Entry Before" date. It means you and your family members who are included in your visa application must enter NZ at least once before the "First Entry Before" date stated in the label, which would be 12 months after the visa was granted. If you forgot to enter NZ before this important date, your resident visa would lapse. It means you will lose your resident visa entitlement. If your resident visa is granted and issued on-shore, your resident visa label will not have a "First Entry Before" date. It is because you are already in NZ. The second condition is "Expiry Date Travel". It does not mean your visa will expire after the "Expiry Date Travel". It means your travel conditions will expire on the "Expiry Date Travel". There are cases the travel conditions will expire. If you were granted the resident visa off-shore, it would usually expire after two years from the date of your first arrival. If the resident visa was issued on-shore, two years after your resident visa is granted. What does it mean by "Travel Condition"? It gives you the right to enter and exit New Zealand as a resident of New Zealand. If you leave New Zealand and want to return to New Zealand after your travel condition's expired, your entry into NZ could be refused it is because you didn't meet the "travel condition" and your resident visa lapses. For investor 2 visa category, there will be some additional conditions. For example, you need to apply for Expression of Interest first. When your EOI is selected from the pool, you have 4 months to prepare and submit all the documents. Once all the information matches, you will get "Approval in Principle" which allows you to transfer the investment you indicated in your application to New Zealand within 12 months. When you complete the transfer the fund to NZ, you and your family member who included in the application will get the resident visas. Permanent Resident Visa Permanent Resident Visa holders will enjoy the same rights and privileges as Resident Visa holders. However, the main difference is that Permanent Resident Visa's travel condition does not expire (see below). It means you can come and go as you like. You could live overseas for many years and come back and live in New Zealand as NZ citizen. Regarding being able to live in NZ permanently, the resident visa holders and the permanent resident visa holders enjoy the same rights. How do you get the Permanent Resident Visa? For normal resident visa holders, you can apply for a permanent resident visa at the end of the two years of your initial resident visa. However, you will need to meet one of five criteria. The easiest one is you spent 184 days in New Zealand in "each" of the two years from the date you first entered to New Zealand. This "184 days" does not have to be consecutive and can be broken up and added to make up the "184 days" per each year. For example, if you entered NZ on 1 April 2017, you must spend 184 days in New Zealand between 1/4/2017 and 31/3/2018. And another 184 days from 1/4/2018 to 31/3/2019. This rule applies differently to the resident visa holders from Investor 2 category. Depending on where you invest the amount, the minimum stay in NZ differs. For example, if you invest the amount in high growth area including new residential property development, you can only spend 438 days over 4 years. It means you can travel to NZ once in the first 2 years to renew your "travel condition" for the next two years. However, you do not need to be in New Zealand for 184 days per year for the 4 years. You can stay out of NZ for 2 years and 9 months and come to New Zealand for the remaining period to make up the 438 days to meet one of the requirements of getting a permanent resident visa. Otherwise, you will need to spend "184 days" per each year for the 4 year period. The permanent visa holder in this category can apply for NZ citizen after one year of holding the permanent resident visa. As we, Immigration Trust wrote about it about 6 weeks ago, it is happening. Immigration New Zealand is likely to close 12 of its 17 overseas offices, as well as those in central Auckland and Henderson. The move is expected to cut overseas visa officer positions from 650 to 400, while domestic roles are expected to increase from 690 to 960. INZ general manager Steve Stuart said the moves were a result of more visa processing being done online and in New Zealand. The changes will not affect how far visa applicants abroad have to travel to make applications, because the affected offices dealt with assessments of applications, rather than the applications themselves, and the 39 visa application centres (VACs) operated by INZ were unaffected. The proposals were forecast to reduce the cost of visa administration by more than $20 million a year by the 2021-22 financial year. It would cut the number of additional visa officers required to keep up with demand by roughly 100. "Applicants have been able to apply for student visas online since August 2014, and for work and visitor visas since June 2015. Applications for visas not currently available online – such as residence – can be posted," Stuart said. "Feedback from staff and stakeholders is being considered before any changes are made. A decision is expected before the end of next month." If the closure of the Auckland Central and Henderson offices went ahead, staff would be offered roles in Manukau. Stuart said it was fiscally prudent to move offices away from city centres whenever practicable, and the additional workload would be picked up by boosting numbers at the five remaining offices in Manukau, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Porirua and Christchurch. Under the proposals, the processing centres in Beijing, Mumbai, and three offices in the Pacific would remain, while those in Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bangkok, Moscow, New Delhi, Pretoria and Shanghai would close. Processing would also cease in four other offices – Manila, Washington DC, London and Dubai – where Stuart said a presence would be retained to gather market intelligence, manage risk, carry out verification activities and maintain relationships with key partner countries. The Government is considering tighter regulation on immigration agents who deal with foreign students. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says if students deported over their dodgy documents are telling the truth about being duped, the Government has an obligation to "make sure their reputations are not besmirched by the actions of others". Earlier this year a group of Indian students facing deportation sought refuge in an Auckland church, claiming they had no idea their documents had been forged. They were eventually kicked out, with then-Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse refusing to grant any leniency. "Effectively those decisions have already been made. [The students] have sought ministerial intervention; that has been declined," he said in February. "They're unlawful and they need to leave New Zealand." Many of the approximately 150 students have since struggled to find work back home. "We feel like all the doors are being closed for us," Hafiz Syed told Newshub at the weekend. "We don't know which way to go now, and we really can't find any jobs for us now." Ms Ardern told The AM Show on Monday "if they knew what was going on, then we should treat the case as such" "If they didn't, we should also have regard they were unwittingly drawn in by individuals who acted as agents and acted illegally." The Ombudsman is looking into the Indian students' cases. A spokesman for new Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway told Newshub he's waiting on the outcome of its investigation before making a decision. After that, new rules may follow. "Successive Governments, both Labour and National, have looked whether or not we need to individually regulate the way those agents work," said Ms Ardern. "When it comes to agents who work solely with students, both successive Governments have chosen not to. I think we need to have a look at that." Many low-value courses marketed to foreign students are likely to be dropped, with Ms Ardern expecting the cuts to make up about a third of the Government's target of 30,000 fewer immigrants annually. Combined with the dodgy documents scandal that's affected Indian students, Ms Ardern says they're not a good look for New Zealand. "When it comes to export education, we want a well-run, thriving export education sector where New Zealand's reputation is enhanced and people get value for money. I think New Zealanders would want that too. We don't want people taking advantage of dodgy courses." To read the actual article, visit here. |