Immigration
- Business Central
- Oct 25, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 5, 2024
Changes were made to immigration settings in April, following a period of high inward migration and reports of migrant exploitation. Since then, the picture has changed.
Arrival numbers have eased back significantly, New Zealand citizens are leaving in numbers and some forecasts are showing we’ll be at zero net migration next year.
In the year to July 2024, 81,000 New Zealand citizens departed our shores, surpassing the previous high of 72,400 set in February 2012.
There was a net migration loss of 55,800 New Zealand citizens, exceeding the earlier record of 44,400 from the year ending February 2012.
Overall, there was a provisional net migration gain of 67,200 people for the year ending in July. This is a decrease from the peak migration gain of 136,700 recorded in the year ending October 2023.
Estimated migration by direction, rolling year ended December 2001–August 2024
All of this, coupled with specific skills shortages, means more changes are still to come.
MBIE completed targeted consultation on the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) in early October and is reporting back to the Minister in November. MBIE is investigating whether the AEWV is fit for purpose and wants to ensure the system focuses resources in the highest risk areas while being more open and permissive for trusted employers.
Some of the options considered were a tiered model for accreditation based on risk, alternatives to the median- wage threshold, how the Ministry of Social Development is involved with the Labour Market Test, job-check settings, seasonal work visas, sector-specific settings and compliance rules.
Business Central and the BusinessNZ network have been involved in the consultation, and we will communicate more on these changes with members, depending on what is announced.
The Minister has signalled more changes to come across other areas in immigration, including looking at residence pathway settings for the Skilled Migrants Category and the Green List in early 2025.
