Samoa's Acting Prime Minister Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio Photo: RNZ / Anusha Bradley
Samoa's Acting Prime Minister has expressed concern at Australia offering up to 3000 visas for Pacific migrants, saying it will further drain Samoa's already strained labour workforce.
It comes as the government tries to find out how a group of workers were able to depart for New Zealand for seasonal work, despite the temporary ban on the regional seasonal employer scheme.
Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio told the Parliament in Apia that the Australian Government made the announcement on new visas without consulting the Samoan Government.
He said this would hurt the Samoan labour workforce and lead to the loss of more skilled workers and their families to Australia permanently.
The 3000 visas would be allocated annually through a ballot process across Pacific countries and Timor Leste.
Independent Gagaemauga 1 MP, Tuala Tevaga Iosefo Ponifasio. Photo: Tuala
Those selected from the ballot will be invited to apply for permanent residence and the new Pacific Engagement visa (PEV) will start in July to boost permanent Pacific migration to Australia.
"There has been no communications with our Government on this. They will start by taking our workers for three years and I believe they will not return," said Tuala.
He said they would take workers in the tourism and hospitality industries plus teachers and police officers.
Tuala said Cabinet had to stand firm and ensure it is properly prepared to deal with any fallout.
It is envisaged that the programme will benefit participating countries through increased remittances, opportunities for skills and knowledge transfer, the provision of a new migration pathway, and enhanced people-to-people links.
Discussions revealed that the PEV will be broadly modelled on New Zealand's Pacific Access Category (PAC) Resident visa which has been available since 2002.
Workers defy temporary ban to head overseas
The Samoan Government is trying to find out how a group of Samoans were able to depart for New Zealand for seasonal work, despite the temporary ban on the regional seasonal employer scheme.
Documents including flight itineraries have been obtained by the Samoa Observer showing there was travel to New Zealand.
The itinerary shows 18 seasonal employees left the country on Sunday, January 15 while the scheme was halted.
Samoa's Cabinet had put a temporary stop to the deployment of seasonal workers for this month, until Cabinet finalises a policy focusing on the selection of applicants.
According to one of the workers, a senior official with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour was processing their paperwork and travel documents but is not responding to their calls anymore.
Attempts by the newspaper to get comment from the Ministry were unsuccessful.
