Stories by Gill Bonnett
News
Deleted Immigration NZ website post appears to be copy of new policy - adviser
Information about skilled residence visas mistakenly posted on Immigration New Zealand's website appears to be an advance copy of the government's new residence criteria.
Benefits for migrants to end today - 'What happened to our fabled kindness?'
Emergency benefits for migrants are being axed from today - and advocates say the timing could not be worse.
'Zero response' from govt after visa delay concerns raised - doctor's union
The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists is calling on the government to urgently address immigration difficulties for doctors and other health workers, describing the system as shambolic.
Calls for medical staff to be prioritised for residency: 'We need to look at it like an emergency'
The government is being told to act swiftly on immigration because delays are leading to the loss of urgently needed medical staff during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Woman who made false rape claim wins deportation appeal
A woman who made a false allegation of rape against her former partner in a "sustained and clinical course of deception" has won a reprieve from deportation.
MIQ bookings frustration made worse by government tweet
New Zealanders stranded overseas are incensed after they were told a freeze on managed isolation bookings meant they could "take a break" from their round-the-clock attempts to find an MIQ space.
Documents reveal what's going on with MIQ spaces
While desperate travellers fear bots are stealing MIQ places - and the government points to growing demand - a dwindling supply of rooms is aggravating the situation.
'Crushing' deportation to NZ after four decades in Australia
A 43-year-old man who has been in Australia since before his first birthday has lost an appeal against being deported to New Zealand.
Visa numbers tipped to fall after immigration reset, documents show
Budget documents offer the first hint of what form immigration reform may take - suggesting fewer people may apply for visas.
Travel agency still waiting on school trip visa refund
A South African travel agency which organised a school trip to New Zealand say they are still waiting for a visa refund 18 months on.
Migrant doctors caught in limbo weigh up their future in NZ
More than 200 international medics and almost 1000 nurses are on work visas because invitations to apply for residence have been suspended - and the complications it causes is prompting some to head…
Partners among those whose visas have been cancelled
Immigration New Zealand has confirmed that people who applied for visitor visas to be reunited with their partners have had their applications cancelled.
Residence visa application refunds may be next - INZ
Immigration New Zealand is considering whether to allow refunds for those who have applied for residency.
Sailor's sexual assault charges: Panel told 'lightning doesn't strike twice'
A military panel deciding whether a sailor sexually assaulted three colleagues while on tour of duty in Canada is hearing the trial judge's summing-up.
Navy sailor on trial over sexual assault of three colleagues
A Defence Force sailor is in a court martial on charges of sexually assaulting three colleagues while they were on an international deployment.
MIQ spots booked out until November, more on the way
Capacity for MIQ has dropped by 900 spots as Christmas holidays near.
Frustration over visa decision delays: 'It feels like a real kick in the teeth'
Migrants who have waited more than five years to have their parents settle in New Zealand are calling for the government to front up on when residence applications will restart.
Skilled migrants awaiting residency: 'We feel like we're being left to sink or swim'
A British doctor says she feels let down by a government which pleaded for healthcare workers but has now gone silent on how they can become residents.
'There's nothing more I want in my life than seeing my family'
Only 560 people qualified for a border exemption that the government announced in April to reunite split families.
Visa changes: too little, too late?
Analysis - The government has announced 10,000 working holiday-makers and seasonal staff can get visa extensions, but some say the numbers are a drop in the ocean and come too late, Gill Bonnett write…
Border exemptions arbitrarily limited to certain sectors - MPI
New documents show tensions arose between government departments over who should get border exemptions and how the dairy industry lost out in favour of space and film projects.
Immigration New Zealand hires 100 as Beijing office shuts
Immigration New Zealand shed more than 300 jobs overseas as it shut branches in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, but recruitment was put on hold due to financial constraints.
Migrant employers will need accreditation under new work visa rules
Employers with migrant staff will need to complete a job check before they or their workers can apply for a visa, in the biggest change to work visas in a generation.
Millions spent on attracting migrants, $900k on repatriation
The government has spent $112,000 to repatriate migrants who could not afford plane tickets to fly back to their home countries, Budget documents show.
Closed borders take toll on stranded post-study workers
Many employers have had to let their post-study work visa holders go - or have kept their job open, but some cannot work remotely.