Immigration Updates.
Filed under: Getting to New Zealand, Immigration Advisers, NZIS & Immigration issues
There’s actually been quite a lot happening on the immigration front here – I’e just been too lazy (and too depressed by it all) to blog about it. So Instead of writing an stream of rather sad and depressing posts – I decided to do it in one short sharp shock, and write an update instead.
1/ Immigration New Zealand being idiotic over relationship statuses.
It’s an annoyance that never seems to go away – but another couple are being harassed my INZ over the fact that INZ don’t believe their relationship is real. They have a baby together, and they are in fact married – but that is not enough for the bean counters and paper shufflers at INZ.
Despite him being married and with a child on the way, Immigration NZ visa services manager Jan Clark said proof of a shared home, finances, belongings and household chores were required to prove they were a genuine couple.
Marriage certificate and – dare I say it – an advanced pregnancy – isn’t enough???? A few years ago, I came across a poster on a forum who had to go through this farce despite being married for 40 years. Before joint bank accounts were common. At the end of the day lack of knowledge on the part of immigration staff does not constitute a lack of relationship on an immigrants part. So this isn’t a one-off situation.
Joint Bank Accounts and bills. It’s a necessity if you don’t want to have to deal with this kind of crap.
2/ More Kiwi’s employ slave immigrant labour.
This it has to be said, affects mostly ethnic minority or pacific islander immigrants, who seem to be less confident and knowledgeable about their rights and the law. That is not to say that western immigrants don’t get similar treatment, but it tends to be of a lesser scale (paid considerably less, conned into taking 2 year work visa positions and forced to do a job that differs markedly from that applied for or you lose your visa- that sort of thing).
In this case – a Wellington “businesswoman” – whose identity is protected by name suppression laws, employed 2 Fijians, did not pay them the minimum wage, and did not pay them holiday pay. She also employed them illegally while they were here on visitors visas.
3/ Immigration Adviser holds on to a passport for over a year.
This is a bit of an odd one, as I can’t find the adviser listed at the IAA, even under past licence holders. So hopefully this guy, Piliki Talanoa, will be prosecuted under the Immigration Advisers Licencing Act. His client, a hairdresser by trade, gave him the passport last September in order to get a work visa renewal. The agent apparetly closed his office down last month, at which point the police managed to get the passport back.
Mr Talanoa says Mr Cohen changed his mind about which category visa he wanted to apply for and that caused the delay, a claim Mr Cohen strongly denies.
A hairdresser by trade, Mr Cohen says he’s pleased to have his passport back and hopes to have a new work permit approved by Immigration New Zealand. But the delays have cost him the chance to apply for residency, he says.
“I have to apply for a work permit from the beginning.”
His advice to other people seeking work permits is to deal directly with Immigration New Zealand.
Mr Talanoa wouldn’t discuss why he abandoned his former office in Otahuhu so suddenly.
But property manager Johan Ackerman says Mr Talanoa had already left the property when the owners showed up to evict him.
Hmmm, there’s a story there – including why he doesn’t appear to have ever held an Immigration Advisers licence. Of course the IAA has no authority to read this article and act on its contents unless someone makes a complaint. The police haven’t charged Mr Talanoa with anything. Question is: why not?
4/ A good news story – 102 year old bypasses the system.
I say good news – as it undoubtedly is for the lady who has been given a 3 year visitor visa instead of the normal 6 months, and for her daughter. It’s not so good though for the hundreds if not thousands of people who refused help or consideration from the Immigration Ministry. So on the one hand I am chuffed to bits about this one, on the other hand it annoys me considerably.
The details are that Louise Sydes UK rest home was being closed, and rather than be relocated, she wanted to move to be with her daughter in Auckland. They contacted the Immigration Minsiter’s office and appear to have just asked them to let her stay. Ive read 2 articles about this – neither of them mention anything about going via Immigration New Zealand, or applying for residency via the family stream, or indeed having to pass the stringent medical tests.
Speaking from New Zealand her daughter Sue Pearson said she was ‘excited’.
She said: ‘Usually family members are only allowed to come for six months but we wrote to the minister of immigration who granted us permission for her to come and live with us.
Given the desperate needs of some people I have come across to get a visa to live in New Zealand, and the crap they have to go through to get it – IF they get it (often they don’t)- I cant help but be a little angry about this. It does kinda make a mockery out of the pain of other families who are refused the right to live together.
5/ Another Indian family facing deportation.
Pooja Kapila, whose husband Satinder is in Waikeria Prison awaiting deportation, was so desperate to avoid what she says is the death sentence of being returned to the slums of the Punjab that she refused to sign the documents presented to her at their Te Puke home on October 21.
They have been living here in New Zealand for 10 years. They have three children, one of them is a New Zealand citizen by birth, having been born here just one year after they arrived. This was before the loophole allowing this to happen was closed. Now I’m probably going to come over as heartless and cold on this – but I really think in case like this we cannot keep holding INZ to blame. Often from reading these kinds of articles, I find I end up making a judgement (based on very little information) about whether I feel the families should be allowed to stay or not. I really cant work out why in other cases I feel compassion, but in this one I don’t. Perhaps it’s because the third child was born so soon after arriving, perhaps it’s because after 10 years of living in New Zealand Mrs Kapila needs an interpreter. Perhaps it’s because once again “celebrity” Immigration Adviser Tuariki Delamere is involved.
As is often the case with these articles – they are full of emotion, and short on facts. As is also often the case, the comments with the article are somewhat enlightening.
Why you need marine insurance when you emigrate.
See those “boxes” tipping over on the back of that ship? Some of those could contain the household goods of people moving to New Zealand. The Rena has been run aground on a reef near Tauranga. For ease – the Dom Post has a nifty The Story So Far section:
Wednesday, October 5
2.20am: Rena, a Liberia-flagged 235m vessel, was heading to Tauranga from Napier when it crashed into the Astrolabe Reef, about 7km north of Motiti Island. Maritime NZ said the cargo ship, which was carrying 1900 tonnes of fuel, was on a 10-degree list and some fuel had leaked from its hydraulic pumps.
Thursday, October 6
-An early morning flight by MNZ confirmed an oil slick stretching 2 kilometres.
-Four dead birds were found, covered in oil. An oiled wildlife response team was mobilised.
-The Director of Maritime New Zealand issued the owners with two notices. One, that a reputable salvor be appointed. Two, that MNZ can take control if it deems it necessary and the vessel owner must comply with the National On Scene Commander’s directions.
Friday, October 7
-Four little blue penguins and two shags affected by oil were rescued from Motiti Island. Six teams of responders are deployed and joined by 10 more teams on Saturday.
Saturday, October 8
-Fresh oil is spotted leaking from the cargo ship, which is on an 11-degree list, MNZ confirms.
-Specialists from around New Zealand and Australia join the more than 100-member strong oil spill response team led by MNZ. Three hundred defence force personnel are on standby.
Sunday, October 9
-Oil recovery teams head out on the water to collect oil. The oiled wildlife response is continuing
-About 10 tonnes of oil is pumped from the Rena to the bunker barge Awanuia.
Monday, October 10
-3500 tonnes of oily water has been recovered and offloaded at the Port of Tauranga.
-Clumps of oil are found washed up on the beach.
-Awanuia is currently alongside Rena and preparations are underway to transfer oil from Rena to the Awanuia, weather permitting.
Tuesday, October 11
- Environment Minister Nick Smith calls the incident our worst environmental disaster.
- Stormy weather in the region makes the clean-up difficult
- Maritime New Zealand issue warnings for volunteers to stop picking up clumps of oil.
Now, the captain of the ship is being charged, and faces a fine of upto $10,000 or 1 year in jail. His ship is leaking oil which will do substantial damage to the New Zealand environment and we have to pay to clean up his mess.
$10,000 or 1 year jail! That 10% of the fine, and 14% of the jail time he could face if he got caught giving immigration advice without a licence.
But that aside – what would you do if that happened to the ship carrying your containing?
I despise insurance companies – especially with the sickening way they are behaving in New Zealand right now with regard to the earthquake in Christchurch – but I also know I would stump up the cash and pay the premium to insure all my worldly goods when shipping them half way round the world.
Our shipping insurance cost £1,390 7 years ago (blimey was it really that long). It was 3% of the value of what we shipped. Looking at that listing ship – which is by all accounts about to break apart – I am glad we did.
Survey time – licensed Immigration Advisers
Filed under: Getting to New Zealand, Hubby's Views, Immigration Advisers
The IAA has just published the results of their third annual survey of client satisfaction with licensed immigration advisers. And what a fascinating read it is – No really, I mean that.
There were 5,781 immigrants invited to respond and 721 of them responded. So, the satisfaction of 721 people out of approx 45,000 emigrants to NZ are intended to give us a representative picture of how much better NZ would be if only everyone used a licensed immigration adviser.
The visa types for these 721 people is also interesting. 40% for Work visas, 20% Student, 20% Residency(what were the other 20%? ). So at least 60% of the survey respondents were actually applying for a Temporary visa. Not Permanent Residency. Seems like a lot of temporary visa’s still being dished out with a chunky advisers costs attached.
Oh and 5781 people, across approx 500 advisers. So that’s an average of just eleven clients successfully through the end of the immigration process a year. Sheesh – no wonder immigration agents have to charge so much if their professionalism & efficiency only manages to succeed with eleven clients in a year.
Lets put that into numbers shall we?
Just 12% of emigrants, including those on temporary visas, decided to use a licensed adviser in the past year. For a service which is supposed to be made sooo much better and easier by having a licensed professional on the case for you..
Anyhow.
The Executive Summary can be found here. It must be the only exec summary I’ve read in the past five years that goes on for eight pages.. Executive = doesn’t have the time to read the full report and needs a one page summary.
Ho hum, then again I am the sort of person who will read the whole 50 page report with appendices of statistical analysis. Short of conducting the survey myself, reading the full report is as close as you’ll get to doing original research – rather than parroting the officially approved line.
Still, moving on.
The actual summary page, first link above, provides some interesting snapshots.
The satisfaction benchmark is 65%. Hmm, seems a bit low. One in three customers not being satisfied is acceptable performance? Most customer sat surveys I’ve seen or heard companies rave on about set a benchmark of at least 80%.
In terms of Adviser Performance I find it most interesting that there are two area’s showing ‘below’ satisfactory performance;
information about Treaty of Waitangi and Maori customs/traditions (44%); and
providing services for a reasonable cost (64%).
Hmm – so irrespective of whether you were happy with your adviser or not, Price is still one area that advisers don’t even meet the paltry 65% satisfaction level.
The next nugget is even more fascinating, the satisfaction with exempt advisers.
It is just as good as with properly “professional” licensed advisers..
You what?? After all the rigmarole about how fantastic it must be for emigrants to use properly licensed advisers, they don’t actually do a better job than a random lawyer or Citizens Advice Bureau adviser? (clearly this does not apply to “advice” you can get for free off immigration forums or blogs – that would obviously cause you a great deal of harm and cause your intestines to explode through your eyes.
)
Still, the highlights tell us that in all the important scoring area’s there wasn’t anywhere that exempt advisers scored better than properly licensed advisers.
Except when you look at how many people were ‘very satisfied’. This is your 80% customer satisfaction benchmark, and only 43% of people using a licensed adviser were very satisfied. Compared with 50% who used an exempt adviser.
Interestingly, when Avalon wrote to the Immigration Minister a second time on this issue after receiving the obligatory fob-off and they tried to use the current sat survey to impress upon is how good these advisers were – she said:
In fact the survey also shows that Immigrants prefer the service given by the Exempt agencies – so once again – it’s hardly something the Immigration Agent Industry should be proud of. It suggests that potential immigrants would be best advised to employ the services of a lawyer and stay well away from Immigration Agents.
Hmm -looks like the situation has not improved in the last 2 years then. And they have some way to go then on more than meeting a clients expectations and really delivering a high quality professional service then! Overall satisfaction still remains at 75%, so three years into a licensing regime and those licensed advisers aren’t doing much better overall.Also – I just love it when statistics don’t actually show what people tell you they show – and I really dislike that the people tell us hope we are too dumb to notice.
Still on the positive side, the survey does show that an increasing number of clients of licensed advisers are satisfied with individual aspects of what their adviser does. Which in itself is a good thing, but still doesn’t answer why the vast majority of emigrants still don’t bother with licensed advisers. Presumably becuas ethey know its a rampant rip-off. And to be honest – most of the people that do really don’t need to. There just isn’t enough added value to justify the amount of money it will cost you. The actual step-by-step process to migrate to New Zealand is not that complicated. The thing that makes it hard for some people is the shite service and behavior of INZ – and no “adviser” is going to make that easier to deal with. I have still not met a single migrant whose agent actually dealt with the issues rather than just pass the crap back to the migrant to deal with.
Save your $$$ – you will need it to buy coffee with!
Auckland joins the 20th Century – just in time for the rugby
Filed under: Cost of living, Getting to New Zealand, Hubby's Views
One of the really odd things we found on our initial trips to NZ was the lack of an airport hotel at Auckland. With the number of international flights getting in at unsocial hours of the day, it seemed a big opportunity was being missed.
Now when I say airport hotel, I mean a hotel which is within a five minute walk or taxi ride of the terminal buildings. Not the closest hotel to the airport being a 20 minute taxi ride away. Which is what the situation at Auckland has been up until May 2011.
Plus of course as we have now discovered, the propensity of AirNZ to cancel direct flights to and from places (Wellington to anywhere out of the country for instance) and insisting that you have to bounce via Auckland to get out of the country. This means you fly back into Auckland really late, and either face a night in the terminal building or a journey of half an hour each way to get to a hotel. Because of course, AirNZ insist on booking you on the first (antisocial) flight out of Auckland to your onwards destination.
Arriving Auckland midnight sir? You’ll be wanting the 0630 flight on to Wellington then wont you?
Seriously, do these people not think! Six hours is too long to comfortably spend in either terminal overnight, since they do actually shut the things down as the traffic volume is nowhere near enough to justify keeping them open 24 hours – unlike Heathrow or Gatwick for example. But also too short to actually get somewhere else and get a decent amount of sleep.
<rant off>
We are now blessed with a Novotelat the airport. Which is within a 2 minute walk of the international terminal. Really, it is. They’ve built it at the end of the terminal where everyone piles out of customs & baggage reclaim bleery eyed and wondering where to go next. In fact, it’s between the ‘pay for your parking here’ parking meters, and the car park.
And it’s swanky. Somehow we got a room on one of the two ‘Premier’ floors, which seem to equate to the Executive rooms listed on the hotel website. Kudos to the receptionist who greeted us at somewhere around 2:30am in the morning – boy was he bright eyed and bushy tailed! Which was really nice to have someone checking us in who didn’t give off the ‘I’m on nights and I’m going to distribute the surliness around‘ attitude that you sometimes find. But also attentive enough to understand we were at the opposite end of bright eyed and that if a pillow had been placed on the counter we’d have probably fallen asleep there and then.
Very nice rooms, the latest entertainment options thought of etc. So if you happen to have a laptop or portable DVD player and want to watch a movie you’ve bought with you, you have all the normal cabling options available so you can plug the thing into the large screen TV in the room.
Plus the bar was still open gone 2am in the morning when we arrived on a delayed Fiji flight, with the coffee machine up and running at 6am at the bar in the morning when we have to ship out again for our Wellington return leg. When the website says it’s a 24 hour bar – its true.
Oh and they have very nice showers, with really good sound proofing in the rooms so we didn’t hear a single lift door go bing all night even though we were in a room next to the lift lobby.
Plus, like the Singapore Changi airport hotel, they’ll do rooms for during the day – but not buy the hour. Which is really handy for those late night flights out of Auckland which will take 12 sleepless hours to get anywhere.
So finally and just in time for the rugby world cup, Auckland has a decent airport hotel, yippeee!!
Big changes to immigration policy kept very quiet. Pt 2
While we were looking at this, we noticed that INZ published an update on the 8th July about changes to the skilled migrants policy. It hasn’t been in the papers – all that hit the news was the affect on foreign students and how much money NZ stands to lose if students stop coming here.
It’s still all about the money!
Anyway, as of 25th July 2011, you will now get less points for lower qualifications. So New Zealand is now tipping the points towards PhD’s.
But here is the real important bit, buried in the notes at the bottom. So vitally important to potential immigrants, yet snuck in with not a peep out of anyone.
Applicants with qualifications in an area of absolute skill shortage will no longer be able to automatically obtain residence without skilled employment.
That is actually a fundamental change to the way the Skilled Migrant Category works, and has always worked. Oddly enough, when it was first brought out it was always supposed to stop people getting visas without having a job. But you would never be able do that in a 2 part system where you can enter the pool (for a fee) with 100 points but you have to set the points level to be taken out of the pool so that people who needed the job offer to get to 100 points could be taken out. It would always be the case that some people could get higher points without a job offer and thus get selected from the pool.
In one phrase they have allowed themselves a “get out clause” to not select you from the pool if you do not have a job offer.
Now in principle, I have to kinda say that on one hand that is fine. To a point. We are still going through a world wide financial crisis, and NZ has a stonkingly major problem having to deal with one of its major cities being a pile of rubble. Giving jobs to immigrants at a time like that is perhaps not the best move. But only to a point. We still have skills shortages. Not everyone in Christchurch who needs work has the skills needed, and some people frankly do not want to leave their city. And while youth unemployment figures are apparently rising, unemployment for others isn’t, so there really isn’t a huge pool of workers available anyway.
So: the issue here – right now emigrating to New Zealand is harder than it was. Couple that with the fact that it is hideously expensive because of the crap exchange rates – you need to think REALLY hard about the pros and cons. Do you homework. And then do it again, but what ever you do – make sure you know your chances, you know the rules and you know what you are letting yourself in for.
If New Zealand is still your dream – then go for it. If you are not sure – wait. Immigration policy, like house prices and exchange rates runs in cycles, and it will get easier at some point.
Changes to the Skills Shortage lists
Immediate Skill Shortage List (ISSL)
People wishing to work in occupations listed on the ISSL may be granted work visas if they fit the skills criteria.
The following nine occupations are being added to the ISSL:
- Pig Farmer (Department/Unit Manager)
- Medical Technician (Clinical Dialysis Technician)
- Electronic Equipment Trades Worker
- Metal Machinist (First Class) (CNC Machinist)
- Metal Casting Trades Worker (Foundry Moulder)
- Motorcycle Mechanic
- Clinical Coder
- Poultry Farmer (Broiler Breeder/Breeder Farm Manager)
- Baker.
The occupation being removed from the ISSL is:
- Optometrist.
Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL)
Migrants who gain employment in one of these occupations may be granted a work visa under the LTSSL Work to Residence instructions. Migrants applying for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category may gain bonus points towards their application if they have work experience, qualifications, or an offer of employment for an occupation identified on the LTSSL.
The following occupation is being added to the LTSSL:
- Statistician (Fisheries Modeller).
The occupation being removed from the LTSSL is:
- Anaesthetics Technician.
Bit of an odd bunch there, but these are actually really important lists to understand if you are looking at immigrating to New Zealand. If you don’t have the points to get residency, then reviewing the lists and training in areas particularly on the Long Term Skills Shortages can be a smart move. You just need to remember that as above – the lists are changeable. They get reviewed every 6 months.
These chances are active from 11th July 2011.
Silver Fern Visa – Still causing mayhem for immigrants
Lincoln Tan reports that immigrants coming over to New Zealand on the new (well, since April 2010) Silver fern visa are taking low paid and crappy jobs to get through the system.
I blogged when it was first coming out:
So basically it’s a 9-month version of the old Job search visa – allowing you to find a job legally – which most people do anyway on a visitors visa. Having the Silver Fern Visa is not likely to make employers look at you any more favourably – but hey – you can try explaining it to them and see if they get it. They won’t.
And also – you aren’t apparently going to get Residency straight off – but a work to residency visa, –which as I’ve said before – is a bloody dangerous move right now. There are 300 places available and you need to be between 20 and 35 years old to qualify.
So, what has happened? Well according to the article:
Of the 293 visas issued last year, only 85 people have found work or received a job offer. Eighty have not found employment, 70 have left the country and 58 have yet to arrive.
That’s less than a 30% success rate.
Immigration New Zealand said the scheme had attracted young, skilled people despite the tight job market.
This makes no sense – it doesn’t matter how many people you can attract with a “Job Search” visa. There are many many thousands of people who would like to emigrate and come to New Zealand. The fact that INZ can find 300 people who want to live here is certainly no great shakes. The issue is – can those people actually get a residence visa that will allow them to stay here? It looks like not.
“It does not guarantee them employment,” said Immigration NZ chief Nigel Bickle.
“We’d advise them to research the labour market thoroughly to ensure jobs that match their skills and experience are available.”
The National Distribution Union said the scheme was flawed, and it wants Immigration New Zealand to review it.
“All that’s been happening is a repeat of the ‘rocket scientists driving taxis’ situation and clearly, many of those who came under the scheme feel they have been misled,” said migrant support co-ordinator Dennis Maga.
This is a major problem – it is very easy to be misled about your chances of successfully immigrating here. Many of us set our hearts on the move, and if people were to tell us that our chances were low of getting through – human nature says we will probably ignore it. However it is up to us as the immigrant to look beyond the hype and promises and make sure we know the rules and the chances of success – no matter what the glossy brochures and agents promise us.
Immigration New Zealand does not plan to review the policy.
Well, there’s a shock!
Remember: a Silver Fern Visa allows you to find a job in order to get a Work To Residence Visa which after 2 years can lead to a residency visa. IF you can get a job.
This is not the first time that the Silver Fern Visa has been in the news.
Like what Avalon has to say?
Click Here to buy Avalon's Guide or Click Here to buy the E-Book
What on earth are Immigration New Zealand up to?
It has been a bit of an odd time lately with Immigration News, and it is a bit hard to fathom the thinking behind some of the decisions being made. Now that isn’t to say that INZ are necessarily making the wrong decisions – but some of them seem a little barmy to be honest. So here are some of the recent stories, make of them what you will!
1. Carers on work visas being sent home.
I blogged about this a while back, but essentially, immigrants on work visas in the Christchurch area are being sent packing to allow more work to be available for Kiwis out of jobs because of the earthquakes. Now on the face of it hat sounds good – Immigration policy is meant to plug holes, and temporary work visas are meant to be just that – temporary- so that immigration can be flexible and allow for Kiwi workers to take jobs first.
This is really only a problem if, as reported, Kiwis are not taking those jobs: unemployment in the area stays high, and there aren’t enough staff to act as carers for the elderly.
2. But Work Visas are being extended for immigrants so they can stay and work during the Rugby World Cup.
Ok, I’m not a rugby fan at the best of times, but I am heartily sick of the country being turned upside down so that we appear to be polished and sparkling for the influx of visitors – because the heavens forfend that we look like we are a low wage economy that cant afford first class facilities!
But when Immigration Policy is being stretched or outright ignored, and kiwis would actually like and be willing to take those jobs – which they now cant because immigrants have them – well – that kinda stinks. This is not the purpose of Immigration Policy.
I think it also speaks volumes that Immigration will stretch the policy for Rugby, but not for elderly people in need of carers. Just shameful.
3.Immigration released a statement about Martin Payne.
Now, in the 6 years I have been writing about immigration on forums or blogs, I have never actually seen immigration respond to criticism in the press with a statement like this. I can only put it down to the sheer amount of backlash from Kiwis furious that a hard worker gets kicked out while others they deem to be “the usual bludgers” get to stay. Either than or they do indeed release statements and I have never noticed them of course.
The statement can be found here, and is well worth a read. The interesting thing is that in reading it, and the quoted Residence Review Board case, I personally felt that INZ had a point in as much as the latest Medical Assessor actually listed 10 reasons why Mr Payne did not have an acceptable standard of health. Compare that my Dad’s case where all the assessor could come with is “get more tests” – it actually looks like this guy had some nouse about him.
That’s not to say the system is fair. I would contend that INZ new full well when granting Mr Payne his business visa that we would not likely pass the test when it came to converting from a LTBV to residence, and let him in anyway – cos its all about the money!
The offensive bit is the RRB’s contention that in sending the Paynes back to the UK:
[58] The Board accepts there would be emotional harm, and possibly also
financial loss, but there is no reason to believe they would be serious. The couple
can, as the representative says, sell both the business and their house. As the
appellant has built the business up, it should sell for more than its cost, though
whether they would recoup all capital invested, the Board cannot know. Even so,
they arrived with substantial capital and will return with reasonable and perhaps
even substantial capital.
what a load of crock! They came here when exchange rates were pretty ropey anyway, and the world wasn’t in financial turmoil. I would like to see the RRB members cope with being forced to sell up and shift round the world. The only thing in the Payne’s Favour is that the exchange rate going back to the UK works in their favour this time. As long as the reduction in property values here don’t offset that. Still – I think it takes a certain amount of heartlessness to make a comment like this. Of course the emotional harm is serious!
Besides – when will INZ and the NZ Government make some serious change to this ridiculous $25,000 limit on health care costs? They really need to get a grip!
4. Immigration has backtracked on the carers in Christchurch.
National MP Nicky Wagner organised a meeting between Immigration New Zealand staff, rest-home providers and caregivers in Christchurch last week.
INZ head Nigel Bickle said Christchurch staff used the meeting to ensure employers understood immigration requirements and made genuine attempts to find New Zealand citizens or residents to fill vacancies.
He said labour market advice after the quake showed there were about 600 vacancies at rest-homes. About half of them were caregivers, which meant new work visas could not be issued because there were New Zealanders available to do the jobs.
“The labour market situation has since changed, and from early May, Work and Income has advised that there are no longer New Zealanders available,” Bickle said.
You notice that there is no admission whatsoever that they may just have screwed up a tiny little bit?
5. Immigration backtracked on Martyn Payne’s Visa
However, in the decision released today, Mr Bickle said new information presented to them has shed light on the case, and Mr Payne has since been granted an eight-month visa to stay in the country and work. He will also get up-to-date health assessments from New Zealand specialists and from there will be able to apply for residence.
“There are still concerns about Mr Payne’s health but we’ve taken into account all the circumstances,” Mr Bickle says.
He says Mr Payne’s case has highlighted how difficult it can be to make decisions around cases that do not meet health requirements.
“The decision to grant Mr Payne a new visa today gives him time to get all the information required for a new residence application and return to running his service station in Northland,” he said.
So, he gets anther crack at the whip, and a chance to present more medical information. My only question is – what if the medical information shows the issue is still getting worse? (Which is INZ’s contention). This is still no guarantee of a residence visa – but I personally suspect that one will be granted – this is just INZ trying to save face.
I also think what this case highlights is not the difficulty of making decisions around health cases – I feel it highlights the utter uselessness of the health policy! $25,000 is nothing in medical terms these days. It’s also nothing compared to the benefit the migrant brings. It also shows that the Medical Waiver is usually a waste of time – I have so rarely read of cases where they were granted – and the reason given is usually the reason that residence was originally turned down. It is supposed to look at other factors.
So all in all – I can’t say INZ are doing very well right now. Odd that.
Like what Avalon has to say?
Click Here to buy Avalon's Guide or Click Here to buy the E-Book
Honestly – not the best policy ;)
Once again, a mother may be forced to leave New Zealand, meaning either he Kiwi born child has to leave with her and not see his father, or stay and be parted from his mother.
Ferisita Sapalia, who is Indonesian, and was married to a Kiwi Citizen (origianlly from France). They had a child, but thier marriage broke down last year. Ferisita did the right thing and advised INZ of the change in circumstances, as she was applying for residency under the partnership scheme.
Not telling INZ would mean effectively not passing the Good Character requirements necessary to immigrate here. Telling INZ means as far as they are concerned she is no longer eligible for residency.
Like what Avalon has to say?
Click Here to buy Avalon's Guide or Click Here to buy the E-Book
Immigrant carers are being kicked out of NZ after the Christchurch Earthquake.
Filipino rest-home workers say they feel “used” after working 18-hour days following the February earthquake, only to be discarded once New Zealand is “done” with them.
Several Filipino caregivers in Christchurch have had their work permit applications denied in recent weeks, with Immigration New Zealand saying there are Kiwis, made redundant because of the February 22 quake, who can do the job.
This is just so sad. The employers actually cannot find Kiwis available to do the work, the Filipino workers cannot find other work (or get a work visa for another job), and the Kiwis out of work because of the earthquake apparently do not want to work as caregivers.
So basically – everyone suffers, and sending the immigrants home won’t make the slightest bit of difference except that the people in the Care Homes will no longer have enough staff to look after them.
This is one of those situation where as Immigrants we just need to accept that political expediency will always be vastly more important than our personal need to be where we want to be. Immigration need to be seen to doing whatever they can can to ensure that Kiwi’s unemployed because of the earthquake are not disadvantaged. I do understand and agree with that – but what about when those Kiwi’s won’t do certain jobs?
I also think its vitally important that potential immigrants understand that Work Visas are for temporary work shortages. They are not permanent – and Immigration does have the right – and sometimes actually has no choice – to refuse to renew a work visa.
Those denied their visas were sent a letter saying they were overstayers in New Zealand, she said.
Well, way to go INZ! That is where I feel they step over the line. There is just no need to behave like that given the circumstances. Would it really kill INZ to give these people a visitors visa for a few months rather than label them “overstayers”? These people have to go through hell now – with their dreams shattered – and INZ labels them as criminals because they just have the sense to come up with a better solution. Clearly the careworkers have not broken any laws – they have – like many other before them – ended up in an illegal situation because of the Immigration Department and its nutty rules.
Immigration New Zealand head Nigel Bickle said work visas could not be granted when Kiwis were available to do the job.
“available” to do the job and willing to do the job are two entirely different things.
About 600 rest-home staff were made redundant after the February quake.
And I would those people would be stepping forward to take the places that INZ are making available to them. Because this is what INZ are seeing – there’s 600 care workers who need a job – and they cannot allow an immigrant to take that job instead.
Work Visas – despite what many people will have you believe – you are never guaranteed that they will be renewed and you have no right to stay permanently. If you come here on a Work Visa – or anything that isn’t a Permanent Residence Visa – make sure you have a plan to get back home .
Like what Avalon has to say?
Click Here to buy Avalon's Guide or Click Here to buy the E-Book
Avalon’s Guide On Facebook
-
