New pathways announced to make getting New Zealand residence easier for skilled migrants

An earlier version of this story reported the Skilled Work Experience pathway allowed for applications for permanent resident visas. This has been corrected to say resident class visas.

Two new pathways to residence for skilled migrants will kick in from the middle of next year, the government has announced

Under the Skilled Work Experience path, migrants in ANZSCO Level 1-3 roles being paid at least 1.1 times the median wage, with at least five years of relevant job history - at least two of which must be in New Zealand - can apply for resident class visas.

The Trades and Technician pathway is for migrants in specific ANZSCO Level 1-3 roles paying at or above median wage, with a Level 4 or above qualification and four years of experience - a year-and-a-half being in New Zealand.

The current median wage is $33.56 an hour.

Ministers Nicola Willis and Erica Stanford said the changes would help grow the economy.

"Businesses told us it was too hard for some migrants to gain residence, even when they had crucial skills and significant experience that was not available in the existing workforce," Willis said. "We're fixing it."

Stanford said the government was balancing the need to attract higher-skilled workers, while managing migration levels responsibly, and additional eligibility restrictions would apply to some occupations.

Further details on that, including which occupations would be eligible for the Trades and Technician pathway, would be provided before they opened next year.

"These changes are part of a suite of smart, flexible and nuanced immigration solutions we've introduced," Stanford said.

Peters invokes 'agree to disagree' provision over 'serious concerns'

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has invoked the 'agree to disagree' provision over the policy, saying he has "serious concerns".

Peters said he was concerned those who got residency would become citizens, then use their New Zealand passports for fast-tracked visas to Australia. He said almost half of New Zealand citizens already applying for Australian citizenship last year were not born here.

"New Zealand is being used as a stepping stone into Australia. We take them in, train them, up-skill them, look after their families, and then they emigrate. How is this an effective immigration policy?"

Speaking to reporters in New York, Peters said the OECD had "pointed out countless times, and even of late, about the lack of skills that we are bringing to a first world economy".

"New Zealand First has that position, and we have always said that we should skill and train our own people first, and not use our failure to do so, or our failure to educate properly students coming here as some sort of incentive to not meet the first world education standards. We are letting ourselves down."

Peters said the country needed to get on top of its skills "to the maximum".

"We've got numerous points of difference with other political parties, but I think the verdict of history will be on our side."

Asked about criticism this was New Zealand First peddling anti-migrant rhetoric, Peters said: "We don't respond to lazy journalism."

Willis said she was not worried about New Zealand First disagreeing with the policy and sometimes disagreements happened.

"We have a different perspective... we don't think this presents the risks or dangers that New Zealand First may perceive."

Peters said the system should be focused on providing young New Zealanders with the skills needed for a range of industries.

"This is not a new issue - while we recognise the importance of retaining some critical workers, we have serious concerns about this unfocused immigration proposal."

Peters said he supports extending existing work visas for workers already here for another three years to address the short-term demand.

"We cannot maintain this decades-old papering over the cracks for short term needs."

Willis said she believed Peters was just sharing New Zealand First's concerns.

"We're adults and sometimes as adults we have different perspectives."

Stanford said the policy was "migrant neutral" and it would be for people who were already living in New Zealand.

Joanna Hall from the Employers and Manufacturers Association told Morning Report under the current rules, vocational workers were "locked out".

"Our members, for a long time, have felt that we haven't seen an acknowledgement of the value that these workers can provide."

Hall said many of these workers had "years and years" of experience that isn't available in the local job market.

While unsure of the actual numbers who will apply, Hall believed the visas will be very attractive to workers in a number of sectors.

"It's a very wide range where these roles don't have professional registration."

Hall believes it is important to train the domestic workforce, and for many businesses hiring a migrant was not the "first port of call," and called for the education system to align with industry needs.

As for concerns the visas will be used by workers to move to Australia, Hall wasn't concerned.

"You've got to remember, a lot of the people that will qualify for this have been part of these teams now for years. They have set up their lives in New Zealand."

Business backing

A clear pathway to residency for skilled migrants will give businesses more confidence to make long-term investments for growth, an advocate claimed.

"The government has reaffirmed the value of trade skills and experience to the New Zealand economy and better aligned immigration settings to the realities of the labour market," BusinessNZ chief executive Katherine Rich said.

"Businesses should now have confidence to invest and plan long-term with more stable workforce settings on the horizon."

She said businesses would be able to expand their capacity to take on more apprentices and provide high-quality training opportunities for New Zealanders entering the trades.

"These changes will enable a business to find the right people with the right skills for the job.

"International expertise brings fresh perspectives and ways of working that strengthen New Zealand companies, helping them innovate and compete more effectively."

Future concerns

Arunima Dhingra, a senior licensed immigration advisor and CEO of Aims Global, said many details of the new visa pathways needed clarification.

"I think the biggest question mark is going to be the definition of 'skilled', because by the time these policies come out, ANZSCO will be gone," Dhingra said, referring to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations.

"There will be a new list called the New Zealand Occupations List and that list has different occupations at different levels."

Immigration New Zealand last year said ANZSCO would be replaced by a new system called the National Occupation List. However, the system has yet to be launched.

She said the median wage typically increased each year, meaning by the time applicants gained the required work experience, wages might rise again and further complicate the process.

"It's this constant chase between increasing the median wage and people acquiring work experience which needs to be managed quite carefully."

She said the latest announcements included no clear instructions on how such issues would be resolved.

At the same time, Dhingra welcomed the government's decision to increase points for New Zealand university-level qualifications, saying it would make it easier for international graduates to transition to residence.

"[But] even without any changes, the fastest pathway outside of the immediate Green List for someone is to have a master's degree because it gives you five points, and a one-year work experience will give another point and you're eligible for residency," she said, referring to the six-point threshold migrants must attain to gain residency under current immigration settings.

Stanford had earlier said the government would reduce the amount of time that migrants with domestic university qualifications needed to work in New Zealand before they were eligible for residence in a bid to retain international students.

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