Immigration
Cut tax rates in order to make New Zealand a more attractive place to live We should be aiming for net inflows of around 30-40,000 persons per year We should be aiming to attract the ablest and most productive people (while making allowance for refugees, and family reunion cases) Immigrants must not have easy access to welfare Introduce a five year probation period during which immigrants who offend can be sent home if convicted of an imprisonable offence
Provide all new immigrants with a copy of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act and Te Tiriti o Waitangi in their preferred language Create fairer and more transparent short-stay visa processes Support freer movement of people between Samoa and New Zealand in consultation with Samoa Progressively increase our refugee quota from 750 per year to 1000 per year Ensure migrants are provided with assistance to obtain adequate housing and health services
Labour will continue to emphasise the attractions of skilled migrants as the main element of our immigration policy Labour will strengthen programmes to attract overseas New Zealanders to return to work in New Zealand
Streamline the procedures for qualifying employers to be “recognised” or “accredited” to recruit internationally, for both seasonal and other work requirements Require employers recruiting overseas to provide a bond, to be refunded when the recruited immigrant either leaves New Zealand in accordance with the terms of their visa, or attains residence Review Immigration New Zealand to ensure that there are clear lines of accountability Introduce a temporary work visa for up to six months for any legal visitor to New Zealand who obtains a guaranteed seasonal job offer Establish a Retirement Visa for high net-worth people wishing to live in New Zealand at no cost to the taxpayer
Drastically reduce the inflow of migrants Review 'family reunification' policies across both the immigrant and refugee categories Ensure that those with a serious criminal conviction from an overseas jurisdiction cannot be considered for refugee status Ensure that any suspected terrorist held under the Immigration Act is unable to receive bail All new immigrants will need to keep an unblemished record for five years before becoming eligible for citizenship
Develop a 10-year population strategy in government to identify the impact of demographic changes on our society, the economy, and other areas of government policy Maintain, if not increase, the current net migration inflow of 10,000 residents per annum Develop a global online service that matches potential skilled migrants with job opportunities to help fill critical skill shortages Review the operations of NZQA to ensure that the process of formally recognising migrants' skills is effective and efficient