News
Immigration good for NZ
Immigration is already delivering benefits to the New Zealand economy, according to recently released research
Findings from the Department of Labour's Migration Trends report showed that 87 per cent of principal applicants for the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) had a job or offer of skilled employment in New Zealand.
The report also found that 88 per cent of principal applicants approved for residence in 2004–05 had previously held visitor, work or student permits. This indicated that migrants with previous experience in New Zealand are likely to settle in well.
Research has already shown that these migrants tend to have good employment outcomes. Another trend was an increased focus on skilled migrants, a strong relationship between temporary work permits and residence and a well-balanced spread of both countries of origin and regional settlement within New Zealand.
New Zealand immigration minister David Cuncliffe says he wants to see an even stronger focus on skills over the coming 12 months to further contribute towards New Zealand's productivity and growth and to "address significant labour shortages."
Auckland, New Zealand's biggest city and traditionally a haven for migrants, was the destination of choice for just 38 per cent of principal applicants under the Skilled Migrant Category who had found or been offered employment. In 2004–05, 48,815 people from a total of 24,784 applications were approved for residence in New Zealand. Of this, 61 per cent were approved through the skilled/business stream, 29 per cent through the family sponsored stream and ten per cent through the international/humanitarian stream.
Nearly half of all people approved gained residence through the SMC – 23,854 people. The UK was the largest source of approvals in 2004–05, accounting for 31 per cent of approvals overall. China was the next biggest group with ten per cent, followed by South Africa and India with seven per cent each.
British migrants made up 42 per cent of approvals through the skilled/business stream. All together, 49 per cent of all UK entries were approved through the SMC.
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Borland, Western Southland 13 December 2006