Metropolis Desk-
On Sunday, New Zealand announced that it was immediately altering its work visa program in response to last year’s almost record-breaking immigration, which it described as “unsustainable.”
The modifications include things like requiring English proficiency for low-skilled employment and establishing a minimum level of education and experience required for the majority of employer-sponsored work visas. Additionally, most low-skilled professions will have a three-year maximum continuous stay instead of a five-year maximum.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford stated in a statement, “The Government is focused on attracting and retaining the highly skilled migrants, such as secondary teachers, where there is a skill shortage.”
“At the same time we need to ensure that New Zealanders are put to the front of the queue for jobs where there are no skills shortages,” she stated.
According to the statement, 173,000 persons, almost a record, immigrated to New Zealand last year.
With 5.1 million people living there, New Zealand has had a sharp increase in migration since the pandemic ended, which sparked worries last year that it was accelerating inflation.
Source- Reuters
