All Immigration matters, including temporary, visitor, work, SMC, investor and residency visas: Immigration Trust - Immigration Law Expert in Auckland, Wellington, and ChristChurch, New Zealand
  • Home
    • Arabic
    • Chinese
    • Spanish
  • About Us
    • Executive Team >
      • Founder & CEO
      • Principal Consultant Lawyer
      • Client Manager
      • Office Manager
      • Intern
    • Specialist Team >
      • Professor Siah Ang
      • Fay Nie
    • Advisory Board >
      • Ming Lim-Pollard
      • Edwin Paul
      • Prabha Ravi QSM JP
      • Shan Ng
      • Amit Prasad
      • Dr Sarkaw Mohammad
      • Fang Yang
    • Contact
    • Disclaimer/Privacy Policy
  • Services
    • How we work
    • Immigration Matters >
      • Visitor Visa >
        • Covid Visa
      • Study Visa
      • Work Visa >
        • Changes to Essential Skills work visa
        • Short term changes to visa settings for temporary work visa holders in New Zealand
        • New Skills Match Report
        • Changes to Employer Assisted Work Visas
        • Post Study Work Visa
      • Interim Visa
      • SMC >
        • Possible questions from your case officer to your employer
        • List of ANZSCO occupations treated as an exception
        • SMC Assessment Service
      • Resident Visa
      • Parent Visa
      • Partnership Visa >
        • Partner Visa Case Assessment
      • Entrepreneur Work Visa
      • Entrepreneur Residence Visa
      • Variations of Conditions
      • Investor Visa
      • PPI >
        • PPI-Urgent Assessment Service
      • BONA FIDE
      • Reconsideration >
        • Reconsideration Assessment Service
      • Unlawful >
        • Residence and reporting requirements
      • Section 61 >
        • Section 61 Fee
        • Section 61 -2
        • Section 61 Assessment
      • Visa declined >
        • Declined Visa Assessment
      • Deportation
      • Medical Waiver >
        • Medical Waiver Assessment Service
      • Character Waiver >
        • Character Waiver Assessment
      • Appeal Review
      • Ministerial Intervention >
        • Ministerial Intervention Assessment Service
      • Complaint to INZ >
        • Report to INZ
      • Employer Assistance
      • Fees
    • Education >
      • RoadShow >
        • Jakarta-Indonesia >
          • Jakarta-Free
        • Hanoi-Vietnam
      • Support Package
      • Cost
    • Payment >
      • Terms and Conditions
    • New Zealand Immigration News
  • Forms & Guides
    • New Zealand Immigration Forms >
      • Online Fillable New Zealand Immigration Forms
      • INZ1017-Visitor Visa Application
      • INZ1111-Visitor Visa Application for Auckland Region Applicants
      • INZ1189-Tourist Business Visitor Visa Application
      • INZ1172-Temporary Retirement Category Visitor Visa Application
      • INZ1205-Additional Dependants for a Visitor Visa
      • INZ1083-Guide for Visitors Arriving by Yacht
      • INZ1021-Group Visa Application
      • INZ1022-Additional Group Visa Application
      • INZ1025-Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry
      • INZ1019-Transit Visa Application
      • INZ1155-Group Transit Application
      • INZ1156-Additional Group Transit Application
      • INZ1027-Supplementary Form 补充表
      • INZ1188-China Tourist Visitor Visa Application
      • INZ1220-Supplementary Form
      • INZ1177-Military Visa Application
      • INZ1012-Student Visa Application
      • INZ1014-Financial Undertaking for a Student
      • INZ1217-Verpflichtungserklärung über die finanzielle Unterstützung eines Studenten/Schülers Financial Undertaking for a Student
      • INZ1146-Form for Partners Supporting Partnership-Based Temporary Entry Applications
      • INZ1015-Work Visa Application
      • INZ1020-Application for a Variation of Conditions or a Variation of Travel Conditions
      • INZ1223-Working Holiday Scheme Second Work Visa Application
      • INZ1187-Performing Artists, Entertainers and Entertainment Industry Personnel Work Visa Application
      • INZ1113-Employer Supplementary Form
      • INZ1091-Talent (Arts, Culture and Sports) Sponsorship Form
      • INZ1190-Sponsorship Form for Religious Workers
      • INZ1198-Partnership-Based Temporary Visa Application
      • INZ1158-Work Visa Application for China Skilled Work Instructions
      • INZ1204-Request for Approval in Principle to Recruit Foreign Crew of Fishing Vessels
      • INZ1153-SSE/WHE Work Visa Application
      • INZ1212-Formal Notification of Crew Deserter
      • INZ1142-Application to Work for a Recognised Seasonal Employer
      • INZ1090-Employer Accreditation Application
      • INZ1112-Request for Approval in Principle
      • INZ1140-Application for Recognised Seasonal Employer Status
      • INZ1167-Supplementary Seasonal Employment Approval in Principle
      • INZ1178-Partnership Support Form for Residence
      • INZ1141-Application for an Agreement to Recruit
      • INZ1197-Entertainment Industry Accreditation Application
      • INZ1227-Labour Hire Employer Accreditation Application
      • INZ1000-Residence Application
      • INZ1000-Online Fillable Form
      • INZ1202-Parent Category Expression of Interest Form
      • INZ1206-Parent Category Residence Application
      • INZ1024-Sponsorship Form For Residence
      • INZ1100-​Expression of Interest Form
      • INZ1094-Refugee Family Support Category Tier One Sponsor Registration Form
      • INZ1103-​Expression of Interest Form Child Supplement
      • INZ1170-Parent Retirement Category Residence Application
      • INZ1192-Refugee Family Support Category Tier Two Sponsor Registration Form
      • INZ1175-Application from a Resident or Former Resident Visa Holder
      • INZ1001-Additional Dependants for Residence in New Zealand
      • INZ1115-Skilled Migrant Category Application for Residence
      • INZ1222-Entrepreneur Work Visa Application
      • INZ1056-Entrepreneur Residence Application
      • INZ 1242-Partner and Child Resident Visa Declaration Form
      • INZ 1241-Partner and Child Temporary Visa Declaration Form
    • New Zealand Immigration Guides >
      • INZ 1199 Partnership-Based Temporary Visa Guide
      • INZ1016 Work Visa Guide
    • New Zealand Visa Applications Fee
    • Exceptions to NZ border closure
    • New Zealand Visa Processing Time
    • New Zealand Visa Prevent Delays
    • New Zealand Police Certificate
    • Visa Photos
  • Feedback
    • Section 61 More examples
    • Section 61 More examples3
    • Section 61 More examples2
    • Section 61 More examples4
    • Section 61 Feedback
    • Section 61 Feedback 2
    • Successful Partner Visa Case
    • Successful Partner Visa Case-2
    • Successful Partner Visa Case-3
  • Appointment
    • Appointment-Overseas
    • Ask a question
    • Urgent Case
    • Free Assessment

New Zealand Immigration News​

Migrants paying thousands to stay in NZ

29/5/2016

0 Comments

 
6:07 pm on 26 April 2016
Mohamed Hassan 

Temporary migrants fighting to build a life in New Zealand say it's costing them thousands of dollars to navigate the immigration process.

Kareem Ismael, a tutor at Auckland University, is in his final year of a PhD in city planning, which he started in 2011.
Most of the money the Egyptian-born man earns tutoring is saved to show Immigration New Zealand he has enough to live on at the start of every year.

If he doesn't have $16,500 in his bank account when he applies, he can't renew his visa. That translates to more than 70,000 Egyptian pounds.

"It is of course a huge amount of money, especially since I'm self-sponsored from Egypt.
"Our economy is not in its best shape in the last five years."

Mr Ismael said once he finishes his study, he wants to apply his expertise as a planner in Auckland, a place he now considers home.
He will apply for residency this year, but doesn't know what his chances are.

"I have heard different cases, some people got it really easily in three months, some people didn't get it at all. My qualification, my age, the point system - of course it's worrying me."

In the meantime he is trying to stay positive and hopes the government will see him and other migrants not as a burden, but as contributing members of society.

"Those people coming from all over the world, they have suffered all of that financial strain to stay here, they really want to stay here, and they really want to increase the abilities of this country.
"They deserve to have an opportunity."


A report from Auckland University found migrants were having to jump through financial hoops, leaving them economically vulnerable without any assurance they would be allowed to stay.

The study found 86 percent of residence approvals in the skilled/business category last year were on a temporary visa of some kind before they applied, and many ended up with large amounts of debt to help them finance their stay.

Only a fraction of temporary migrants who said they wanted to stay in New Zealand were accepted, and only 17 percent of students managed to transition into residents.

​
Sarin Moddle has been a staple voice on Auckland independent music station 95bfm for six years. She also works organising music festivals, writing and doing the occasional stint in hospitality and as an operations manager for BizDojo.

She moved to New Zealand from Canada in 2008 as a student, but eight years and several work visas later, she realised she had built a life here.

"The first couple of years it was like 'oh I'm having so much fun, it would suck if I have to go home'.

"But then after that it becomes 'I've set my life here', and if I have to leave I effectively have to start my life over again somewhere else."

Soon the uncertainty of not knowing if her next visa application would be accepted became a source of anxiety.

"The thing that is constant is that you still never know that it's for sure.
"Immigration is this faceless bureaucracy. You can call them 20 times in one day and talk to 20 different people and get 20 different answers."

So she decided to hire an immigration lawyer to help her get her residency, which she eventually got last Christmas, after forking out more than $8000 in payment fees.

"I started saving a couple of years after I got here once I got a real job, and I started putting money into what I thought was a retirement savings."
​
"Pretty much all of that went to the lawyer."


Marie Pfister, 29, is in New Zealand on a partnership visa.

The French native met her now-husband, Omar Abdullah, in Auckland while working as a barista and travelling the country five years ago.

They fell in love, got married, and then began the arduous process of trying to prove all that to immigration.

"Have you and you partner been together long enough, have you and your partner been living together, spending money together. I've been keeping all the paper bills and invoices for internet, electricity, flights. It's been four years."

During that time, they spent thousands on visa payments, compulsory medical checks, and translating documents from back home.
They are now waiting to have enough money to apply for her residency, which costs $800.

Until then, thinking about buying a house, or even having children, is out of the question.

"When you apply for a visa here in New Zealand, if you're a female, they ask you if you're pregnant, and if you are planning to give birth in New Zealand or not.

"I'm not quite sure if you actually can stay if you're planning to give birth."

Immigration minister Michael Woodhouse said the government recognised the difficulty for some who have been in New Zealand for several years.

"There are issues with temporary visa holders being here for a long period of time, but with no pathway to residency."

A review was currently underway, and there were plans to introduce some new pathways to residency this year.
The changes come in light of bedrock unemployment in the South Island, with the Canterbury earthquake recovery efforts, horticulture in Nelson and farming further south.

However, Mr Woodhouse said those new pathways don't extend to the North Island, and especially not to Auckland-based migrants.

Temporary migrants shouldn't get to stay in New Zealand if they're not filling a gap in the market, he said.

"They shouldn't have an expectation that residency will follow if they aren't in areas of high skill shortage."
With high youth unemployment in Hawke's Bay and Auckland, the government needed to make sure New Zealanders were at the front of the queue for jobs, he said.

To read the actual article, visit here.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.


New Zealand Wellington Free Immigration Advice help - Immigration Trust
Copyright © 2013 - 2021 Immigration Trust.
All rights reserved.
​Immigration Law Experts
Licensed Immigration Advisers
Disclaimer/Privacy Policy​  
​
The logo of Immigration Trust is a Registered Trademark 
​

Our clients' feedback


Total visits to Immigration Trust
View Simon Park QSM JP's LinkedIn profile View Simon Park QSM JP's profile
Picture

  • Home
    • Arabic
    • Chinese
    • Spanish
  • About Us
    • Executive Team >
      • Founder & CEO
      • Principal Consultant Lawyer
      • Client Manager
      • Office Manager
      • Intern
    • Specialist Team >
      • Professor Siah Ang
      • Fay Nie
    • Advisory Board >
      • Ming Lim-Pollard
      • Edwin Paul
      • Prabha Ravi QSM JP
      • Shan Ng
      • Amit Prasad
      • Dr Sarkaw Mohammad
      • Fang Yang
    • Contact
    • Disclaimer/Privacy Policy
  • Services
    • How we work
    • Immigration Matters >
      • Visitor Visa >
        • Covid Visa
      • Study Visa
      • Work Visa >
        • Changes to Essential Skills work visa
        • Short term changes to visa settings for temporary work visa holders in New Zealand
        • New Skills Match Report
        • Changes to Employer Assisted Work Visas
        • Post Study Work Visa
      • Interim Visa
      • SMC >
        • Possible questions from your case officer to your employer
        • List of ANZSCO occupations treated as an exception
        • SMC Assessment Service
      • Resident Visa
      • Parent Visa
      • Partnership Visa >
        • Partner Visa Case Assessment
      • Entrepreneur Work Visa
      • Entrepreneur Residence Visa
      • Variations of Conditions
      • Investor Visa
      • PPI >
        • PPI-Urgent Assessment Service
      • BONA FIDE
      • Reconsideration >
        • Reconsideration Assessment Service
      • Unlawful >
        • Residence and reporting requirements
      • Section 61 >
        • Section 61 Fee
        • Section 61 -2
        • Section 61 Assessment
      • Visa declined >
        • Declined Visa Assessment
      • Deportation
      • Medical Waiver >
        • Medical Waiver Assessment Service
      • Character Waiver >
        • Character Waiver Assessment
      • Appeal Review
      • Ministerial Intervention >
        • Ministerial Intervention Assessment Service
      • Complaint to INZ >
        • Report to INZ
      • Employer Assistance
      • Fees
    • Education >
      • RoadShow >
        • Jakarta-Indonesia >
          • Jakarta-Free
        • Hanoi-Vietnam
      • Support Package
      • Cost
    • Payment >
      • Terms and Conditions
    • New Zealand Immigration News
  • Forms & Guides
    • New Zealand Immigration Forms >
      • Online Fillable New Zealand Immigration Forms
      • INZ1017-Visitor Visa Application
      • INZ1111-Visitor Visa Application for Auckland Region Applicants
      • INZ1189-Tourist Business Visitor Visa Application
      • INZ1172-Temporary Retirement Category Visitor Visa Application
      • INZ1205-Additional Dependants for a Visitor Visa
      • INZ1083-Guide for Visitors Arriving by Yacht
      • INZ1021-Group Visa Application
      • INZ1022-Additional Group Visa Application
      • INZ1025-Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry
      • INZ1019-Transit Visa Application
      • INZ1155-Group Transit Application
      • INZ1156-Additional Group Transit Application
      • INZ1027-Supplementary Form 补充表
      • INZ1188-China Tourist Visitor Visa Application
      • INZ1220-Supplementary Form
      • INZ1177-Military Visa Application
      • INZ1012-Student Visa Application
      • INZ1014-Financial Undertaking for a Student
      • INZ1217-Verpflichtungserklärung über die finanzielle Unterstützung eines Studenten/Schülers Financial Undertaking for a Student
      • INZ1146-Form for Partners Supporting Partnership-Based Temporary Entry Applications
      • INZ1015-Work Visa Application
      • INZ1020-Application for a Variation of Conditions or a Variation of Travel Conditions
      • INZ1223-Working Holiday Scheme Second Work Visa Application
      • INZ1187-Performing Artists, Entertainers and Entertainment Industry Personnel Work Visa Application
      • INZ1113-Employer Supplementary Form
      • INZ1091-Talent (Arts, Culture and Sports) Sponsorship Form
      • INZ1190-Sponsorship Form for Religious Workers
      • INZ1198-Partnership-Based Temporary Visa Application
      • INZ1158-Work Visa Application for China Skilled Work Instructions
      • INZ1204-Request for Approval in Principle to Recruit Foreign Crew of Fishing Vessels
      • INZ1153-SSE/WHE Work Visa Application
      • INZ1212-Formal Notification of Crew Deserter
      • INZ1142-Application to Work for a Recognised Seasonal Employer
      • INZ1090-Employer Accreditation Application
      • INZ1112-Request for Approval in Principle
      • INZ1140-Application for Recognised Seasonal Employer Status
      • INZ1167-Supplementary Seasonal Employment Approval in Principle
      • INZ1178-Partnership Support Form for Residence
      • INZ1141-Application for an Agreement to Recruit
      • INZ1197-Entertainment Industry Accreditation Application
      • INZ1227-Labour Hire Employer Accreditation Application
      • INZ1000-Residence Application
      • INZ1000-Online Fillable Form
      • INZ1202-Parent Category Expression of Interest Form
      • INZ1206-Parent Category Residence Application
      • INZ1024-Sponsorship Form For Residence
      • INZ1100-​Expression of Interest Form
      • INZ1094-Refugee Family Support Category Tier One Sponsor Registration Form
      • INZ1103-​Expression of Interest Form Child Supplement
      • INZ1170-Parent Retirement Category Residence Application
      • INZ1192-Refugee Family Support Category Tier Two Sponsor Registration Form
      • INZ1175-Application from a Resident or Former Resident Visa Holder
      • INZ1001-Additional Dependants for Residence in New Zealand
      • INZ1115-Skilled Migrant Category Application for Residence
      • INZ1222-Entrepreneur Work Visa Application
      • INZ1056-Entrepreneur Residence Application
      • INZ 1242-Partner and Child Resident Visa Declaration Form
      • INZ 1241-Partner and Child Temporary Visa Declaration Form
    • New Zealand Immigration Guides >
      • INZ 1199 Partnership-Based Temporary Visa Guide
      • INZ1016 Work Visa Guide
    • New Zealand Visa Applications Fee
    • Exceptions to NZ border closure
    • New Zealand Visa Processing Time
    • New Zealand Visa Prevent Delays
    • New Zealand Police Certificate
    • Visa Photos
  • Feedback
    • Section 61 More examples
    • Section 61 More examples3
    • Section 61 More examples2
    • Section 61 More examples4
    • Section 61 Feedback
    • Section 61 Feedback 2
    • Successful Partner Visa Case
    • Successful Partner Visa Case-2
    • Successful Partner Visa Case-3
  • Appointment
    • Appointment-Overseas
    • Ask a question
    • Urgent Case
    • Free Assessment