on May 29, 2016
New Zealand is welcoming more skilled migrants, students and visitors to its shores, as the immigration department’s application process goes digital.
A new report shows the number of migrants gaining residency based on their skills rose four percent in the last financial year to 21,165, making up almost half of all residency approvals.
The Government’s annual migration trends report also showed an eight percent jump in the number of foreigners coming to New Zealand as essential skills workers, positions that can’t filled by residents.
This was the third consecutive increase since the start of the global financial crisis, a trend which reflects the strong demand for labour in New Zealand, acting head of Immigration New Zealand Steve McGill said.
More than 170,000 people were granted a work visa all up – a rise of 10 percent – with the United Kingdom the largest source country, followed by India, China and Germany.
The report also showed approvals for international students jumped by 16 percent, while the number of visitors, excluding Australian citizens, was around 1.49 million, up 11 percent from the previous year.
Mr McGill said the recent roll-out of online applications for student, work and visitor visas was contributing to the growth.
The report also shows that Canterbury is returning to normal after the devastating earthquakes earlier this decade.
The region got a net migration population boost of 6,400 in the 2014/2015 year, and has seen a steady increase in the number of arrivals since 2011.
University students are returning to the region, with the number of new students up 20 percent on last year, Mr McGill says.
Article courtesy of News Hub