New Zealand tightens visa rules after record migration flows

New Zealand announced on Sunday that it would make immediate adjustments to its work visa program after a near-record influx of migrants last year, which it described as “unsustainable.”“.

The changes include measures such as requiring English language proficiency for low-skilled jobs and setting minimum skills and work experience for most work visas issued to employers..

It will also include reducing the maximum continuous residency for most low-skilled jobs to 3 years instead of 5 years.

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said in a statement: “The government is focusing on attracting and retaining highly skilled immigrants such as secondary school teachers, as there is a skills shortage.”“.

“At the same time, we need to ensure New Zealanders are put at the front of the line for jobs where there are no skills shortages,” she added“.

The statement said that last year saw a record number of 173,000 arrive in New Zealand.

New Zealand, with a population of about 5.1 million, has seen rapid growth in migrant numbers since the end of the Covid pandemic, raising concerns last year that it was stoking inflation..

(Sky News)