Immigration
Focus immigration policy on migrants with skills, resources and background that will enable them to become major contributors to the wellbeing and future prosperity of New Zealand Introduce an annual review process for all immigration categories including refugees, family reunion cases and New Zealand's special responsibilities relating to some Pacific Island countries Establishing national quotas of the ablest and most productive people from countries with a track record of success Lower taxation, making New Zealand more attractive to skilled migrants and to Kiwis returning home Easy access to welfare for immigrants will be curbed, and there will be no special government privileges for immigrants
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
Continue to focus and fine tune the Skilled Migrant Category to ensure it achieves the best possible results for New Zealand Carry out a Comprehensive Review of the Immigration Act to ensure New Zealand’s interests are protected and advanced, while also ensuring that we continue to uphold our international obligations Provide support to new migrants through new initiatives such as Settlement Support New Zealand, which will link together government and non government agencies and community groups who provide services for new migrants Improve the uptake of English language education for migrants and refugees Focus on upskilling New Zealand Immigration Service staff in immigration policy and procedures
Focus priority on skilled immigrants, with greater recognition of proven work experience in areas of skill shortage Introduce a four-year qualification period of Provisional Residence for all new immigrants Extend the benefit stand-down period from two years to four years Merge the Immigration Service and the Citizenship Office into a new Department of Immigration and Citizenship Require family stream sponsors to be in work, business and/or able to fulfil all sponsorship obligations for the benefit stand-down period
Drastically reduce the inflow of migrants Review 'family reunification' policies across both the immigrant and refugee categories which have rapidly become an open door for large numbers of unqualified migrants Amend the Immigration Act to 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
Maintain, if not increase, the current net migration inflow of 10,000 residents per annum Encourage more foreign students to undertake study and work in New Zealand Deploy recruitment teams to New Zealand Embassies to interview and screen potential immigrants Establish a one-stop Migrant Business Development Agency within the Immigration Service Establish a global online service that matches potential skilled migrants with job opportunities in New Zealand to help fill critical skill shortages
