New figures show that immigration levels have once again reached new record levels.
The data, released last week by Statistics New Zealand, shows that in the year April 2015 the country had a migration net-gain of 56,800 people – well up from the 34,400 gain recorded the previous year and a staggering increase considering the meagre 4,800 gain in the April 2013 year.
Migrant arrivals were up by 16 per cent from the April 2014 year, while departures were down 11 per cent.
The statistics also show that New Zealand had a net inflow of 100 migrants from Australia in April 2015; the first month the country has recorded a net gain from Australia since 1991. What’s more, the total net loss of 1,900 NZ residents to Australia in the year to April 2015 was actually the smallest annual loss since 1992.
The figures show that the vast majority of new migrants to NZ hail from India and China. However, around three-quarters of migrants from India, and half of migrants from China, arrived on student visas.
Nationwide, more than twice as many people arrived on student visas (8,500) than people on work visas (3,900) in the year to April.
Britain was the third-largest country for new NZ migrants in this one-year period.