A Brazilian woman who claimed she wanted to see the Lord of the Rings film sites - but thought Harry Potter was the films' main character - was one of thousands of travellers refused entry into New Zealand in the past year, a new report has revealed.
In the 2016 financial year, 5.9 million travellers arrived in New Zealand - a 9 per cent increase on the previous year. In that time, 2930 people were prevented from boarding a flight to New Zealand, and 1371 were refused entry on arrival. Malaysia was the top place passengers refused entry were from, followed by Hong Kong and Brazil. Travellers were commonly stopped from flying to New Zealand as they didn't have a visa, didn't have a valid travel document or hadn't met entry requirements. Being the subject of an alert stopped 424 travellers, and 151 were deemed to have non-genuine visiting intentions. Another 70 were stopped for false passport or ID concerns. In most cases, people flying to New Zealand have to have a return ticket. But Immigration New Zealand will pay the return cost for passengers from visa-required countries when necessary. The passengers have to pay back any debt and are not granted a visa to travel back to New Zealand until it is paid. Another case revealed in the Year at the Border report released by Immigration New Zealand today, was a Mexican man who claimed he wanted to see kangaroos and boomerangs to get away from "security concerns" with the legislation of cannabis in his home country. Another stopped was a South African passport holder who had a dating profile claiming he was a New Zealand man seeking a "nice girl to have serious relationship". A Russian man with no explanation for having two passports, 64 credit cards, 100 sim cards and six mobile phones was also stopped. Border control also stopped a man coming from Canada who had been found guilty in England of conspiracy to defraud in a case related to fake US Government bonds to the tune of $2.5 trillion. Immigration New Zealand border manager Senta Jehle said the report illustrated the work done to protect New Zealand borders from people who posed a risk. "Screening for and managing risk at the earliest point of a passenger's journey remains a real priority for us," she said. "To this end we have increased the number of frontline staff and strengthened our security and ICT systems. "The increasing passenger volumes and international environment will continue to challenge us all to be increasingly innovative and connected to ensure the most effective border processes possible into the future." To read the actual article, click here.
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During the upcoming holiday period, the Expression of Interest selections will be delayed until later in January 2017.
The Skilled Migrant Category Expression of Interest (EOI) final draw for 2016 will take place on Wednesday 21st December. The first draw in 2017 will take place on Wednesday the 18 January 2017. The Investor 2 Expression of Interest (EOI) final draw for 2016 will take place on Thursday 22 December. The first draw in 2017 will take place on Thursday the 19 January. Immigration New Zealand offices within New Zealand will be closed between 25 December 2016 and the 3 of January 2017. Applicants may experience some delays in receiving any Invitation to Apply (ITA) under the Skilled Migrant Category or Investor 2 categories. New English requirements for Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa and Invitation to Apply.22/12/2016 If a potential SMC applicant has completed their Expression of Interest (“EOI”) stating that they ‘otherwise meet the minimum requirement’ and then, in the notes field indicate that they are planning to do an English language test, we will NOT be issuing Invitations to Apply (“ITA”) for residence because their claim to meet the minimum standard is not credible, and this is contrary to the instructions.
At the time of expressing their interest, a person needs to confirm that they:
After seven years of living and working in New Zealand, Filipino woman FE Cynthia Dumlao has left the country with a broken heart.
Cynthia's latest application for a work visa was declined by Immigration New Zealand last month because of health problems. She has left behind a husband and son to return to the Philippines to seek medical care. Her son GC Angelo Dumlao said his mother was diagnosed with severe rheumatic mixed mitral valve disease with pulmonary hypertension and will need surgery on her heart soon. "The procedure is not currently funded in the Philippines as a third world country and the surgery alone will cost from 1,000,000 pesos which is equivalent to NZ$35,000." His mother flew back to Manila, in the Philippines, on Tuesday. The heart issue was discovered after Cynthia underwent a medical assessment as part of her visa conditions, her son said. In a letter sent to Cynthia on September 7, Immigration says her visa application had been declined because she did "not have an acceptable standard of health as required by immigration". Immigration area manager Darren Calder said Cynthia's condition meant she was likely to impose significant costs and demands on New Zealand's health service. "INZ assessed all the information provided by Mrs Dumlao as part of her application, but found there were no special circumstances that would warrant granting her a visa as an exception to immigration instructions." No evidence was provided to indicate Cynthia would not have access to health care in the Philippines and it was noted that she has family support in her own country, Calder said. Nothing would preclude Cynthia from applying again in the future for a visa if her circumstances changed, he said. Angelo said his mother immigrated to New Zealand in 2010, two years after his father arrived in the country. With her husband Gerald working on a dairy farm, Cynthia obtained a work visa because her partner was a worker. She has worked in several roles, including as a caregiver, and had recently resigned from her job as a sling sorter for Craigpine Timber because of her health. His father has been in the country for 10 years and had applied for residency under the Skilled Migrant Category, but was declined, he said. His father was the only one left working for the family and his work visa was to expire in May There was no certainty he would be approved for a new one as he suffered from thrombocytopenia (a low blood platelet count), Angelo said. Angelo started a Givealittle page to raise money for his mother's operation and his father had been selling the family belongings to go towards health expenses, he said. His hope was that his mother could get the surgery she needed in the Philippines and return to New Zealand. Angelo, who lived in Palmerston North with his partner, said it was tough on the family and his father was now living alone. "We should be the ones taking care of her but it didn't happen." Preston Russell Law partner Mike Mika said it was not uncommon for Immigration to decline work visas due to health problems. Immigration's main negotiables were requirements for sound health and character, Mika said. When applicants did not fulfil the health requirement then Immigration could be quite strict, he said. "Even if they have been here for seven years, work visas are temporary visas." To read the actual article, visit here. Kiwis will soon need a visa to visit South Africa, its government has announced in a move that matches a New Zealand government move this year.
Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said yesterday that the new requirements will come into force on January 16. New Zealand last month ended a visa waiver for South Africa passport holders that dated back to 1996. "These changes are being made as a result of an increase in the number of South African nationals who have been refused entry at the New Zealand border in comparison to other visa waiver countries," Immigration New Zealand said when it announced the change in October. Immigration New Zealand general manager Peter Elms said the immigration system had to "actively welcome and encourage legitimate visitors" to New Zealand, but at the same time keep out those who do not meet immigration requirements. "These changes bring New Zealand into line with countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States," he said. Yesterday, Times Live reported Gigaba as saying the SA government, like other international governments, had matched the move and "applied the principle of reciprocity" in international relations. Visa fees will remain low, Gigaba said, and all other decisions on reciprocal visa requirements would be made in the interests of SA's broader national interests. "We have further noted in recent times a number of countries have imposed visa restrictions on SA passport holders," Gigaba said, according to Times Live. "After a careful consideration of this matter, I have directed departmental officials to look closely at the decisions of these countries and advise accordingly whether or not SA should reciprocate." To read the actual article, visit here. Investor policy changes to encourage growthImmigration Minister Michael Woodhouse says changes to the migrant investor policy will encourage investments that provide greater economic benefits for New Zealand.
“There’s no doubt the Migrant Investor categories are performing well with $2.9 billion invested since they were launched in July 2009 and a further $2.1 billion in funds committed,” Mr Woodhouse says. “However, around two thirds of investment is currently placed in bonds and the government believes there is an opportunity to rebalance this towards growth-oriented investments. “That is why we are making changes to increase the amount and performance of investment while better recognising the non-financial contribution of migrant investors.” The changes include:
The changes will come into effect in May 2017. To read the actual article, please visit here. Immigrants will have to support their parents financially for a decade if they are approved to settle in New Zealand, under new rules the government has introduced to cut spending on immigration.
It doubles the five-year sponsorship period adult children sign up to when they apply for their parents to join them. The increase is the latest in a series of policy settings that the government has changed because of concerns about immigrant numbers and costs. A freeze on the parent category began last month. Immigration New Zealand said the sponsorship period increase from five to ten years would affect those people who had already been invited to apply, and anyone who applied in the future. Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse announced the freeze last month, saying immigrants' parents were seeking income support because they did not have the means to sustain themselves, despite sponsorship commitments. He said it was Every year, about 5500 parents of migrants settle in New Zealand, of whom about half are Chinese and around 20 percent are Indian. Immigration New Zealand's operational policy manager, Nick Aldous, said a review of the parent category was underway. He said the change to the sponsorship period was agreed to as long ago as 2011 to limit fiscal costs, but required a law change. "The changes which have been made to both numbers and (over recent years) policy settings are in response to concerns that the overall costs of the Parent Category to the New Zealand community should be limited," he said. "The upcoming review will also address these concerns." The government also announced last month it aimed to rein in the number of residents under the skilled migrant category and raised the points threshold immigrants must meet to apply. Mr Woodhouse said a review of work visas was also underway. Last week, a change to rules came into force meaning South Africans now have to apply for a visitor visa before travelling to New Zealand. Previously visitors could be granted a visa on arrival through the visa waiver system. To read the actual article, please visit here. An American and her co-workers are thinking of fleeing the US, with New Zealand high on their list of potential destinations.
And she is not the only one. What seemed like a joke during the race - that hundreds of Americans would plan an escape to New Zealand should Donald Trump win - now does not seem so funny. Immigration New Zealand said its website had 56,300 visits in the past day - almost 2500 percent more than normal. "In the same 24-hour period the New Zealand Now website - which contains information about living, working, studying and investing in New Zealand - received 70,500 visits from the United States compared to a usual daily average of 1500 visits," a spokesperson said. "INZ typically receives about 3000 registrations each month via the New Zealand Now website from US nationals interested in studying, working or investing. In the past 24 hours, 7287 registrations have been received from American citizens." Trade Me said it has had 90,000 searches from the US in the last nine days, while realestate.co.nz's US traffic was up 141 percent yesterday compared to the same time a year ago. An American living in New Zealand, Jess Ducey, said many would not be as lucky as her. "There's a realisation amongst a lot of them that, if you can get out, if you can move to New Zealand if you can get a New Zealand work visa, you're better off than most. "So the people who most desperately would need asylum, people whose lives are in active danger, are the ones that are already struggling to get to other countries." In Chicago, Sarah Kroth said last night she was gung-ho to move to somewhere like New Zealand. "But I feel almost like it doesn't matter because he'll still be president if I leave," she said. "Some of my co-workers are already looking at contacts they have in Canada, my friends in New Zealand have said that they would take me in. "I just hope that Barack Obama barricades the door and doesn't come out." Google search results in the US for phrases such as 'move to New Zealand' and 'New Zealand jobs' also skyrocketed over the past 24 hours, particularly in left-leaning states like Colorado, Nevada and Washington. Meanwhile, Canada's immigration website crashed last night, while Australian media are also reporting a potential influx of Americans. To read the actual article, visit here. What is the Skilled Migrant Category and how does it work?
The Skilled Migrant Category is a points-based residence policy, for people who wish to live permanently in New Zealand. A person who wishes to apply for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category must first put in an Expression of Interest (EOI) to Immigration New Zealand, claiming points for factors like their qualifications, work experience and job offer. Immigration New Zealand does a fortnightly draw selecting EOIs based on the points claimed, then invites people with sufficient points to apply. All applicants must meet some minimum criteria, regarding health, character and English language. What is changing, when? Two changes to the Skilled Migrant Category have been announced:
What was the situation before?Previously, all EOIs were selected where the person had claimed:
From 12 October 2016 only EOIs with 160 points or more will be selected. This will enable the number of Skilled Migrant Category resident visas granted in 2016/17 to remain within the target range. Why does this have to change? New Zealand is currently a popular destination, and therefore there is a very high demand for places under the Skilled Migrant Category. To ensure that this demand is managed effectively, the Government has set the total planning range for the Skilled/Business stream of the NZRP across the 2016/17 and 2017/18 years at 50,500–57,500. If INZ was to continue to select EOIs using the same thresholds as previously, more visas would be granted than the target range allows. Is the new points threshold of 160 permanent? No. The automatic selection mark for EOIs may be adjusted as necessary to manage the achievement of the overall New Zealand Residence Programme. What is happening with evidence of English language and why? What was the situation before? The minimum English language requirement for applicants under the Skilled Migrant Category is an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall score of 6.5 across the four language domains (reading, writing, listening and speaking). Prior to the 12 October change, immigration officers could also consider a variety of alternative pieces of evidence of English language ability in place of an IELTS score, including:
What are the changes about who has to do a test?People who are invited to apply from 12 October onwards will not be able to use the same alternative evidence of English language in place of a test as previously. The evidence that can be accepted in place of a test will be limited to:
People invited to apply before 12 October will not be affected and may still use the alternatives previously in place. They only need to provide what Immigration New Zealand has already requested on the invitation to apply. What are the changes about what kind of tests Immigration New Zealand will accept?From 21 November 2016, Immigration New Zealand will accept a wider range of English language tests. The new tests that INZ will accept are:
Why do the requirements have to change? The new requirements add clarity to the assessment process. Particularly, the new requirements will:
If you have already been invited to apply, the new English language evidence requirements do not apply to you or your partner or children. If you are invited to apply after 12 October, the new English language evidence requirements will apply to your partner and any dependent children over the age of 16. If you have claimed points for your partner’s qualifications or work experience, those points will not be awarded unless your partner meets the new evidence requirements. If your partner or dependent children do not meet the minimum standard, you will be required to pre-purchase English tuition. The amount of tuition fees you will be required to pay depends on their test results. What should I do if I was planning to put an expression of interest in under the Skilled Migrant Category but I can’t meet the new points threshold? If you cannot meet the new points threshold, we would not recommend that you submit an EOI as it is unlikely to be selected. You may wish to look at our other options for residency to find a category that is more suitable for your situation. To find out about other categories for applying for residence in New Zealand, explore residence options on our website. If you are already working in New Zealand, or you have an offer of work in New Zealand, you can apply for a temporary work visa based on your job. Your employer may need to show they cannot find any New Zealanders to take up the work. What if? I put in an expression of interest in which I claimed enough points to be selected under the old threshold, but from 12 October only people with 160 points will be selected. What can I do? If you think you might be able to claim more points and you submitted your expression of interest online, you can log back into your expression of interest and make changes. If you claim more than 160 points you could be selected as part of the next draw. Remember you will have to show evidence for all the points you have claimed if you are invited to apply. What if I have already been selected, but I haven’t been sent an invitation to apply yet? If you have already been selected your application will be assessed on the basis of the points threshold for selection on the date that your EOI was selected from the Pool. However, if you have not been invited to apply on or before 11 October, you will need to meet the new requirements for evidence of English language. What if I’ve already been invited to apply? If you’ve already received a letter inviting you to apply and setting out the documents you need to provide, you just need to follow the instructions on the letter. The new points threshold and new requirements for English language evidence do not apply to you regardless of the date of your application. You must make your application within the timeframe specified in your invitation letter. What if I’ve already applied under the Skilled Migrant Category? If you’ve already applied, the requirements that were in place on the date you made your application will continue to apply to you. You don’t need to meet the new point threshold and the new requirements for English language evidence do not apply to you. I think I can meet the new points threshold, but I was planning to use my one year of skilled employment in New Zealand as evidence of meeting the English language requirement, so what do the changes to English language mean for me? If you are invited to apply, you will need to provide an English test if you do not meet any of the other new requirements. If you apply after 21 November, you can use one of the new tests. Your invitation to apply requires you to apply within four months, so you should make sure you organise your test soon after being invited. What scores will be required on the new English language tests? Remember that if you lodge your application before 21 November 2016 IELTS is the only test INZ can accept. How long are the English tests valid for? English language tests are valid for two years from the date they were sat. The Government is tightening the number of residency permits it grants, in a bid to stem rising demand among foreigners to live and work in New Zealand.
The number of points a migrant has to attain to gain residency has also been lifted, raising the skills threshold under which a migrant has to qualify. But opposition MPs are criticising the changes as "window dressing", accusing the Government of making a populist move without addressing the issue. Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse made the surprise announcement on Tuesday, with a headline figure that would see 5000 fewer residency permits planned for. But the changes would have no material affect on the overall numbers of immigrants able to work in New Zealand – no changes had been made to any of the temporary working visa categories. A spokeswoman from Woodhouse's office clarified that the changes were a bid to pre-empt rising demand for residency, which was forecast to blowout beyond the normal planning range within a few years. The changes announced would apply for the next two years and see the Government work to a "planning range" for residence approvals of 85,000 to 95,000 - down from 90,000 to 100,000. The number of places for migrants to enter on the basis of family members already being here had also been lowered from 5500 down to 2000 per year. Prime Minister Key said the changes were "at the margins". "We don't normally bang into the self-imposed cap, which was 90-100,000 people. Because we have done that very recently and we are going through the digestion of that we thought it probably made sense to reduce it a small amount." A spokeswoman from Woodhouse's office clarified that the changes were a bid to pre-empt rising demand for residency, which was forecast to blowout beyond the normal planning range within a few years. The changes announced would apply for the next two years and see the Government work to a "planning range" for residence approvals of 85,000 to 95,000 - down from 90,000 to 100,000. The number of places for migrants to enter on the basis of family members already being here had also been lowered from 5500 down to 2000 per year. Prime Minister Key said the changes were "at the margins". "We don't normally bang into the self-imposed cap, which was 90-100,000 people. Because we have done that very recently and we are going through the digestion of that we thought it probably made sense to reduce it a small amount." "PANICKING OVER POLLS" Labour leader Andrew Little said the Government's announcement was a "U-turn under pressure". "It doesn't look like it addresses the real issue, which is those on temporary visas coming into semi-skilled rolls which the Reserve Bank and Treasury says is driving down wages. "Nor does it deal with the student fraud and student visa fraud and exploitation of students that we've seen in the headlines recently." Little said the real issue to address was people being recruited into senior skilled rolls, rather than penalising those who had already been here and earned the right to apply for residency. "I think they've got it round the wrong way frankly." NZ First leader Winston Peters accused the Government of moving to a populist position, without doing much. "They're panicking from reading their polls, the public has serious concerns and they're tinkering around the edges. "The message for the people of this country is you can't trust National on this most important issue." Peters said the Government should have gone further. "If you look at the numbers, still gross about 1900 are going to come in every week now - 1900 a week." National had created a "massive problem" by bringing in large numbers of unskilled migrants, Peters said. The Parent Category meant their parents had "flooded in" as well. "Over 15 years we have taken in over 87,000 parent migrants who have no requirements to contribute to the economy while they receive free access to public health immediately, and superannuation after just 10 years here." The New Zealand Residence Programme sets a planning range for the total number of people approved residence over a multi-year period, across three streams: Skilled/Business, Family, and International/Humanitarian. "NOT A HARD CAP" The Minister's office said the programme was "not a hard cap". The Skilled Migrant Category, within the Skilled/Business stream, made up around half of the entire residence programme. "Migrants make a valuable contribution to New Zealand both culturally and economically, and the Government periodically reviews all our immigration settings to make sure they are working as intended," Woodhouse said. "While we are confident our immigration settings are working well, the residency programme is reviewed every couple of years to ensure we have the right number and skill mix of people gaining residence. "As part of that review, today I am announcing a small change to the total number of people gaining residence." Demand for entry under the Skilled Migrant and Family Categories was increasing, raising the number of points required for residence from 140 to 160, Woodhouse said. "Increasing the points required to gain residence from 140 to 160 will moderate the growth in applications in the Skilled Migrant Category and enable us to lower the overall number of migrants gaining residence. "Changes to the Family Category, including temporarily closing the Parent Category to new applications, will also reduce the total number of migrants being granted residence. "Raising the points will also prioritise access for higher-skilled migrants, ensuring we strike the right balance between attracting skilled workers that allow companies to grow and managing demand in a period of strong growth." IMPACT ON INDUSTRY There are fears immigration curbs could impact on the hospitality industry and rural New Zealand. Financial markets reacted swiftly to tighter immigration controls set out by Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse, with the dollar sliding a quarter of a US cent within an hour. The Kiwi briefly sank below 71 US cents for the first time since July in mid-afternoon trading. Business NZ chief executive Kirk Hope said the changes were positive and showed the Government had taken on board employers' concerns regarding the skill base of people applying for permanent residency. Kim Campbell, chief executive of the Employers and Manufacturers Association, said the immigration changes "probably made some sense". But Hospitality Association spokeswoman Rachael Shadbolt said it would be "very concerned" if the new skilled-migrant threshold made it harder to attract chefs to New Zealand. Only time would tell if that would be the case, she said. Xero's global "people manager" Andy Burner did not believe the higher number of points required by skilled migrants would stop Xero from attracting software developers to New Zealand. Xero was mainly recruiting "highly-qualified individuals" who should sail clear of 160 or 165 point level, he said. But he believed other employers might not be so lucky. Federated Farmers employment spokesman Andrew Hoggard voiced caution about the changes, noting unemployment was very low in parts of Canterbury and Southland. The rural lobby group wanted to see more "pathways for residency" for people who had been in the country on temporary visas and who had become productive members of rural communities, he said. "The raising of the points is probably not going to lend itself to improving that," Hoggard said. To read the actual article, visit here. |