Govt's plan to reunite migrant families earns bittersweet reaction

Michael Wood says it’s part of plans reconnecting New Zealanders to the world.

The Government's plans to help reunite some migrant families and bring in more skilled workers from overseas have been met with a bittersweet reaction.

Families desperate to see loved ones are relieved to see a door is opening, as are those industries that have long been looking for staff. But there are also concerns that the announcement doesn't go far enough, and it could still take years for some visas to be granted.

In front of the business and migrant community, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today that the skilled migrant category would be re-opened, alongside the long-closed-off parent residence category.

The parent residence visa application process had been frozen under National. Under Labour it went under review, its planned reopening disrupted by Covid-19.

"A well-managed parent category is an important part of helping families settle and it is time to reopen that category," said Wood.

He also announced there'd be no cap on the number of skilled migrants - but from next year they would need to meet a higher threshold, from the current 160 points required, to 180.

"We've been asked to be more responsive to the skills we need in the economy, and enable people to come in if they have those skills to contribute," he said.

Labour came into Government in 2017 promising to slice the number of migrants down by 20 - 30,000 from the roughly 50,000 that were arriving each year before the pandemic came.

Covid-19 saw that target hit, but the border closures have also exposed how vital migrant workers are to helping fill our labour shortages nationwide.

Business New Zealand's Catherine Beard said giving people clearer pathways to residency is vital within the current climate.

"We need to look attractive to skilled migrants, so if they have a pathway to residency, if they can bring parents here, that's much more welcoming."

But while the announced changes aren't expected to see an immediate flood of people arriving, National's immigration spokeswoman Erica Stanford said today's announcement didn't clarify whether infrastructure investment would match it.

"The one thing that wasn't talked about today was the infrastructure funding," she said. "What you really need is a smart immigration policy alongside a really smart infrastructure policy and we didn't get that today."

Earlier this year the Productivity Commission did say migrants weren't to blame for any issues with our infrastructure or for driving a low-wage economy - and immigration was vital to our economic development.

However, it did recommend that governments look to balance immigration through a clear, strategic direction, while keeping the public informed on how it would be managed.

Minister Wood said the push to bring in more skilled workers "is part of the solution to our infrastructure problems, it's not the problem".

But there are concerns that the higher threshold under the new visa category could see some sectors still struggle to get the needed staff.

Immigration advisor at Aims Global Arunima Dhingra said sectors across the country are in crisis.

"You look at Wanaka, we don't have enough people to work in the cafes. You walk around Auckland and cafes say they are closed due to the shortage. The construction sector is crying out. Any industry you look at you can see there is a dire shortage."

There are concerns too, at the time it'll take to process applications, with thousands of applications already in the pool across both categories.

Malcolm Pacific Immigration chief executive David Cooper said in the parent's category, some families are facing another four years before their visas are approved, which on top of the six years many had already been waiting, was far too long.

"I think as Kiwis we would be treating parents a lot better."

And while there's no certainty as to when they can arrive, families like Kavina Dhanoa and Nitish Bhardwaj's are hopeful the door is finally opening.

They've had a room sitting empty, waiting for Bhardwaj's parents for years.

"For six years it was just dead silence," Dhanoa said.

They've held off on having a third child until her in-laws can meet their grandchildren. Today's announcement has given them some cause to hope that will happen soon.

"Finally something is happening," Bhardwaj said.

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