Immigration Policy Update - Siân Roguski - Manager, Immigration Policy, MBIE June 2019 - Wolters Kluwer NZ
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Immigration Policy Update
Siân Roguski – Manager, Immigration Policy, MBIE
June 2019
1
Outline
1. Introduction and overview of MBIE’s role
2. Outcomes sought from the immigration system
3. The policy focus over the last year: addressing current and
future challenges
4. Deep dive 1: changes to Post-Study work rights for international
students
5. Deep dive 2: the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA)
2Introduction
3MBIE’s role and structure
Immigration Policy provides advice and analysis to the Minister of Immigration on immigration
policy development, to support and advance the Government’s objectives. This includes advice on
the end-to-end immigration process - from selection through to settlement - border security and
international obligations.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is responsible for managing immigration to New Zealand. INZ
decide on visa applications. In 2017/18, they:
• Made around 943,000 immigration decisions involving 1.1 million people
- 26,000 residence applications
- 525,000 visitor visa applications
- 250,000 work visa applications, and
- 112,000 student visa applications
• Received 1.5 million phone and email enquiries
And they control New Zealand’s borders.
• In 2017/18, they:
- Prevented 3,400 people from boarding aircraft for NZ
- Denied entry to 1,200 individuals at our border
- Deported 600 people, with a further 2,300 departing voluntarily
- Resettled 1,000 mandated refugees
4Overview of numbers
Population
• One in four people in New Zealand were born overseas.
• New Zealand has the second largest population living overseas (behind Ireland) and, relative to
its population, NZ has the largest temporary labour migration flows in the OECD.
Source countries
• Our top 3 source countries for residence visas and temporary work visas are China, India and
the UK, with a steady decline of over 50% from the UK over the past decade
• $2.9 billion a year net fiscal contribution from migrants
• In 2018/19, the top three source countries for visitor visas were China, India and Thailand.
Workforce
• 27% of the workforce are foreign born; 43% of the Auckland workforce are foreign born.
• Around 20% of work visas currently require Labour Market Testing (Essential Skills and
Recognised Seasonal Employment)
5What outcomes are we
looking for from the
immigration system?
6There is a broad set of desired immigration outcomes
Security & Social
Integrity Supporting migrants to
participate fully in all
Facilitating access while aspects of NZ life;
managing border & Enhancing the wellbeing
national risk; Maintaining of NZers and migrants,
the integrity of the including enabling them
immigration system, to form and maintain
including protecting against their families
exploitation
Labour Market International
& Economic IMMIGRATION
Linkages & Trade
Filling skill and labour
OUTCOMES AND
OBJECTIVES Supporting foreign
shortages; Attracting
policy goals and
foreign investment and
relationships;
entrepreneurs;
Reducing the costs of
Supporting skilled
international trade;
migrants’ settlement so
Facilitating the growth
that they can quickly Humanitarian of key export
contribute to NZ Fulfilling New Zealand’s industries
international
humanitarian obligations;
Contributing to the global
community’s efforts to
assist refugees and
protected people
7Where has the policy
focus been to address
current and future
challenges?
8Labour market & economic outcomes
What’s going well?
▪ Contribution to strong overall GDP growth
▪ Good employment outcomes for migrants
▪ Short adjustment period for migrants
Current and future challenges
▪ Distribution of migrants heavily weighted towards Auckland
▪ The skill levels of skilled migrants has reduced
▪ Reliance on migration in lower-skilled, lower-paid and lower-productivity
occupations
▪ Achieving good labour market outcomes for all New Zealanders
▪ Contribution of immigration to per capita GDP growth and productivity
▪ A long-term pool of temporary migrants with no pathway to residence
What’s happening in this space?
▪ Confirmation of the New Zealand Residence Programme objectives in
December 2018.
▪ Implementation of the Construction and Infrastructure Skill Shortage List in
December 2018.
▪ A new approach to employer-assisted temporary work visas and regional
workforce planning. Consultation closed in March 2019.
9Social and humanitarian outcomes
What’s going well?
▪ Most immigrants integrate well
▪ Positive attitudes and social cohesion
▪ New Zealand fulfils its international obligations
▪ World recognised resettlement scheme for refugees
Current and future challenges
▪ We could better understand the impacts of migration
▪ Maintaining good outcomes from immigration
▪ Skills matching
▪ Achieving good outcomes for refugees
What’s happening in this space?
▪ In September 2018, the Government announced that it will increase the
annual refugee quota to 1500 per annum from July 2020.
▪ Process evaluation report of the Community Organisation Sponsorship
Category (CORS) published in May 2019.
▪ Migrant Worker Exploitation Review underway . Due to report back to
Cabinet by the end of 2019.
▪ Cross-government response to events in Christchurch.
10International linkages & trade outcomes
What’s going well?
▪ Contribution to Free Trade Agreements and New Zealand’s key
international relationships
▪ Supporting tourism and other key industries
Current and future challenges
▪ Security and integrity of the immigration system.
What’s happening in this space?
▪ Changes to Post-Study work visas for international students announced in
August 2018.
▪ A policy review of Pacific immigration policies, including temporary and
residence settings, will be conducted. This includes a comprehensive
review of the RSE scheme.
11Security & Integrity outcomes
What’s going well?
▪ Managing increased volumes
▪ Decreasing numbers of over-stayers
▪ Efficiency gains made
Current and future challenges
▪ Responding to the changing global context
▪ Exploitation of migrants
▪ Funding settings
▪ Effective and modern regulation
What’s happening in this space?
▪ New fees and levy schedule implemented in November 2018.
▪ The Electronic Travel Authority to be implemented from 1 July 2019
(compulsory from 1 October 2019).
12Changes to Post-Study
Work Rights
International Students
13International student market growth and its consequences
Number of approved international student visas • Education is the fourth largest
40,000 100,000
export industry in New
90,000 Zealand, and is worth $5.1
Approved student visas by education provider type
35,000
80,000 billion in foreign exchange
30,000
each year.
Total approved student visas
70,000
25,000
• Around 90,000 international
60,000
student visas are approved
20,000 50,000 each year.
40,000 • China is the largest source
15,000
30,000
country of international
10,000 students followed by India and
20,000
South Korea.
5,000
10,000
0 0
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 (to
30 April)
Schools Private Training Establishments
Insititutes of Technology and Polytechnics Universities
Total
14What were the objectives of the changes?
• To ensure that post-study pathways for international
students are fit-for-purpose and contribute the skills and
qualifications NZ needs;
• To reduce the likelihood of students being exploited by
unscrupulous employers, education providers and agents;
• To minimise losses of genuine international students;
• To incentivise study in the regions.
15Post-Study Work Rights: Changes Made
The changes:
• Removed the employer link to the issuing of a post-study work visa (reducing the
risk of exploitation);
• Reduced the length of post-study work visas for students studying qualifications at
lower levels on the NZ Qualification Framework.
Designed in such a way to:
• Still provide an opportunity for international students who have completed their
qualifications to gain New Zealand work experience
• Send a strong signal that New Zealand values migrants with higher level
qualifications for residence;
• Incentivise higher level study and direct students studying at lower levels into other
visa options, such as the labour market tested Essential Skills visa;
• Remove the employer-assisted post study work visa which has been contributing to
the exploitation of some international students.
16First-time student visa applications approved at
tertiary level
40,000
37,200
35,000
33,200
31,700 31,600
30,000 30,150
25,000
21,800
20,000
17,300
15,000 15,250
11,950
10,000 10,500
9,500
7,800
5,000
0
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Total first time student visa applications approved
First time student visa applications approved at Level 4 - 7 non-degree
17Level of study: incoming students
20000
18000
16000
14000
4
12000
5
6
10000
7
8
8000
9
10
6000
4000
2000
0
30/04/2017 30/04/2018 30/04/2019
18Incentivising study in the regions
100,000
90,000
Approved international student visas
80,000
70,000
60,000 63% 62% 61% 59%
62%
50,000
60%
40,000
30,000
57%
20,000
37% 36% 37% 38% 41%
40%
10,000
43%
0
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 (to 30
April)
Outside Auckland Auckland
19The Electronic Travel
Authority
Required from 1 October 2019
20New Zealand’s ‘fantastic problem’ • Tourism contributes $39.1 billion a year to New Zealand. 365,000 people employed in New Zealand work directly or indirectly in tourism – almost one in seven jobs. • Over the past 10 years, international visitor arrivals have grown from 2.5 million to 3.9 million per year • By 2024 the forecast is for over 5 million arrivals per annum • Air traveller numbers have increased by 33% (between 2012 and 2017) • Cruise passenger numbers are also growing strongly at around 13% p.a.
Responding to these challenges
• The changing global travel environment raises challenges and issues that
our current visa and border security frameworks are not well-placed to
respond to.
• Immigration border settings needed to change to ensure:
• faster and better facilitation for the increasing numbers of travellers
• more secure borders
• In order to respond to these challenges, the border system needs to
have better advance information about more travellers:
• Currently visa waiver air visitors receive only light-touch screening
at check-in (1.3 million arrivals in 2016/17)
• Cruise ship passengers and crew are not screened at all (200,000
non-NZ citizen arrivals in 2016/17).
22What will the NZeTA look like?
• From 1 October 2019, some visitors and transit passengers must have an
Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) before travelling to New Zealand.
• The NZeTA will not be required for NZ citizens or visa holders, or Australian
citizens.
• The NZeTA will:
• improve the way travellers are assessed before they arrive in NZ
• help reduce the time needed for border clearance, and strengthen border security
• last for up to two years (for passengers) or five years (for crew)
• cost $9.00 if applied for through the mobile application and NZ $12.00 via the
website. Most visa waiver passengers will also need to pay the IVL ($35 per person).
• On 1 October 2019:
• Air passengers from 59 visa waiver countries will be required to hold an ETA.
• All Air and Marine Crew will need to hold an ETA (or a visa).
• Marine passengers will need to hold an ETA and/or a visa (an ETA granted to a visa
required passenger travelling on a cruise cannot be used for air travel).
23Questions?
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