National is accusing the Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi of sitting on his hands over the Ukraine crisis and say it's time for him to go.
Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The government will today rush through legislation to impose more sanctions on Russia and individuals associated with the invasion.
The opposition is supporting the move, but say more needs to be done to ensure Ukrainians and their families can seek refuge here.
The government is automatically granting a 12-month extension to the 140 Ukrainians in the country whose visas will expire by the end of the year.
About 250 people overseas with a valid will also be able to travel here immediately.
But the Green's Immigration spokesperson Ricardo Menendez March said that was not enough.
"We need to continue advocating alongside the community for the things that they're asking for. One of the key asks that they have is adding Ukraine as a visa waiver country, something that would enable a prompt reunification of separated families as well as creating safe passage for people needing to escape violence," he said.
The Green Party also wanted to increase the refugee quota to make room for Ukrainian refugees.
Green MP Ricardo Menendez March. Photo:
National Party immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford said the government's move on visas was the bare minimum.
"What it doesn't do is allow for extended family members to travel to New Zealand and get out of Ukraine of what is a desperate situation."
She said National had repeatedly called for a humanitarian visa for family of Ukrainians living here.
Minister of Immigration Kris Faafoi said any decision on what more could be done was about a week away.
"Obviously there has been requests for parents and beyond that. We have to understand what that might mean for numbers, what kind of support the community itself might be able to offer," he said.
National Party immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford. Photo:
Stanford said the Minister had the ability to move faster.
"Many years ago when the Bosnian conflict happened, New Zealand very quickly put in place a humanitarian visa to get people out to New Zealand, those family members. We can easily do that we should have done that last week.
"He's [Faafoi] sitting on his hands again taking advice and having a think about it while the bombs continue to fall on Ukraine," she said.
This is another reason why the Minister needs to go, she said.
"This is just another example of when he really needed to move with urgency to get people out of Ukraine
The Immigration Minister declined a request to be interviewed about Nationals calls for him to go.
Instead he said in a statement the government was mindful of the urgency, which is why it was moving as quickly, but also as rigourously as it could.
