New Zealand Residence Programme: Skilled Migrant Category fortnightly selection

Source : immigration.govt.nz

A selection of Expressions of Interest (EOI) under the Skilled Migrant Category took place on 27 January 2010.

The following EOIs were selected. 

27 January 2010

Selection criteria	No. of EOIs
All EOIs at or above 140 points.	376
All EOIs with a job or a job offer claiming points between 100 and 135 points.	119
All those claiming 15 points for work experience in an area of absolute skill shortage and with a points total between 130 and 135 points.	48
TOTAL SELECTION	543

 The next selection will take place in a fortnight.

Skilled Migrant Category additional selection criteria maintained

Friday, December 18, 2009

Source : immigration.govt.nz

The additional criteria for selecting Expressions of Interest (EOI) from the Skilled Migrant Category Pool (the Pool) until 31 July 2010 have been set. The criteria will remain the same as in the previous six month period.

These criteria are applied when there are places available in the Pool after all applicants who score between 100 and 140 points and have a New Zealand job or job offer have been selected. When this happens, other EOIs may be selected on the basis of specific criteria which the Minister of Immigration sets every six months.

The additional selection criteria are:

• EOIs that include 15 points for work experience in an area of absolute skills shortage (in descending order of their points total);
• EOIs that include 10 points for work experience in an area of absolute skills shortage (in descending order of their points total);
• EOIs that include 10 points for a qualification in an area of absolute skills shortage (in descending order of their points total);
• the points total of EOIs not meeting any of the above criteria.

International Travel and Migration: November 2009

International Travel and Migration: November 2009 – Media Release

Source: Statistics New Zealand

New Zealand’s annual net permanent and long-term (PLT) migration balance was a gain of 20,000 in the November 2009 year, up from 3,600 in the November 2008 year, Statistics New Zealand said today. The latest annual net migration total is the highest since the July 2004 year (20,600). The increase in net migration was driven largely by 17,300 fewer PLT departures compared with the previous year.

PLT departures decreased by 1,600 in the November 2009 month, including 1,500 fewer departures to Australia and 200 fewer departures to the United Kingdom. Since February 2009, PLT departures have fallen by at least 1,000 each month compared with the same month of the previous year. PLT arrivals decreased by 200 in November 2009.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, PLT arrivals exceeded PLT departures by 1,800 in the November 2009 month, similar to levels experienced since February 2009.

Visitor arrivals in November 2009 (219,900) were up 600 (less than 1 percent) compared with November 2008. Arrivals from Australia (up 7,300 or 9 percent) were again the major contributor, with November 2009 being the eighth consecutive month of large increases from across the Tasman. There were drops in visitors from the United States (down 2,400) and Canada (down 900). Visitor arrivals in the November 2009 year (2.439 million) were down 14,300 (1 percent) from the November 2008 year.

New Zealand residents departed on 158,400 short-term overseas trips in November 2009, up 3,200 (2 percent) from November 2008. There were more trips to India (up 1,100 or 22 percent), and the United States (up 1,000 or 19 percent), but fewer trips to the Cook Islands (down 800 or 18 percent) and Australia (down 800 or 1 percent). For the November 2009 year, short-term departures of New Zealand residents numbered 1.921 million, down 58,400 (3 percent) from the previous November year.

	21 December 2009
END

Expect a strong recovery in NZ economy: Westpac

Expect a strong recovery in New Zealand’s economy, Westpac says

Monday, 18 January 2010, 4:33 pm
Article: Businesswire

Jan. 18 (BusinessWire) – New Zealand’s economic recovery will be stronger than most economists are forecasting, with growth likely to top 4% next year, Westpac Banking Corp said in its quarterly economic overview.

While the global financial crisis could mean a different kind of recovery, Westpac’s economics team suggests there is too much store being placed in that analysis, especially when so many of the factors now at play look the same or better than recoveries in the past.

Westpac’s forecast of a 3.7% rate of growth in gross domestic product this year, and 4.3% in 2011, is at the top end of the 16 forecasters the bank monitors, and it’s happy with that.

“We find that recoveries from past recessions have tended to be very strong,” said Westpac’s chief economist, Brendon O’Donovan. “On average, New Zealand GDP (economic) growth peaks at 6% per annum nine quarters after the recession has ended.”

“What is startling is how many favors are currently shaping up similar to that experienced in previous strong recoveries,” he said. “That would suggest that the risks to our forecasts are weighted more to the upside than the downside.”

Among factors looking similar or better than in previous recoveries, Westpac listed:
• A deep recession to start with;
• Asset prices, particularly housing, rebounding strongly;
• A mini-boom in migration is under way;
• World economic forecasts keep being revised upwards, led by Asian economies rather than Europe or the USA on this occasion;
• A dramatic shortfall in new houses being built;
• Unusually deep de-stocking, meaning firms will have greater inventory re-stocking needs. Inventories fell in mid-2009 by the greatest extent since records began in 1987;
• Reduced consumption mainly affected durable goods, especially cars. If and when spending returns to more normal patterns, these categories fuel a bounceback;
• Leading indicators including the interest rate outlook (rising), business and consumer confidence are “if anything, stronger in those most other economic recoveries”.

While credit, employment and mortgagee sales data would continue to look weak for some months yet, they were all late signals from the last impacts of the recession on firms and households that had hung on as long as possible, but failed late in the downturn.

While the global financial crisis was severe for world banking, there was no banking crisis in New Zealand and the terms of trade had returned swiftly to robust levels, reflecting demand for agricultural and other commodities from fast-growing Asian countries, where New Zealand was signing an increasing number of trade liberalisation deals that would assist growth.

“Simple arithmetic would suggest a stronger than usual rebound,” O’Donovan said.

Westpac expects a substantial improvement in parts of the economy that are exposed to domestic recovery, singling out construction, publishing and advertising, transport and sectors supporting oplant and machinery investment, and consumer durable goods.

(BusinessWire)

Govt raises bar for migrant kids

By Lincoln Tan : Source NZ Herald

Work-permit-holders in the lower income bracket will find it a lot tougher to put their children in New Zealand schools from next month.

Immigration policy changes taking effect on November 30 will mean children of work-permit- holders under the essential-skills policy who earn $33,675 or less will no longer be considered as domestic students. Parents will therefore have to pay international-student fees if they want their children to study in local schools.

Domestic students enjoy free education, but international students have to pay fees of between $10,000 and $15,000 per child annually to study at primary, intermediate and high schools.

“The minimum income threshold must be met and maintained wholly by the salary or wages of a parent or parents holding the work permit,” Immigration New Zealand said in a circular distributed to immigration advisers.

“This is to ensure that the children have an appropriate level of financial support, given that these families are not eligible for state-funded income support.”

However, an Immigration spokesman told the Herald that children of parents whose initial work permit was issued before the end of this month could carry on with their studies as domestic students.

Migrant Action Trust, a migrant advocacy group, says the changes will just be another “trap” for migrant workers.

“Migrant workers will accept significantly lower pay – way below industry standards in their skilled area – just to cling on to the dream of residency, so many skilled migrant workers fall into the lower salary bracket,” said trust spokeswoman Agnes Granada.

“Because many come here for the sake of their children, they will become victims of this policy change.”

The trust presented a petition last Saturday asking Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman to grant amnesty for migrant workers who have lost their jobs in the recession.

A spokeswoman for Dr Coleman said the minister couldn’t comment as he had not yet seen the petition, but said the policy changes were aimed at ensuring adequate support for children of temporary migrant workers coming to New Zealand.

“The minimum income threshold helps ensure that essential-skills temporary work-permit-holders have a salary enough to look after a family in New Zealand,” the spokeswoman said. “The threshold is set at the lowest possible level to ensure children are adequately supported.”

In other policy changes taking effect on the same day, a special Philippines work policy will allow a limited number of skilled workers, including 100 nurses, 20 farm managers and 20 engineers, to work in New Zealand at any one time for a period of up to three years.

Immigration NZ said that under the policy, nurses from the Philippines would be able to work for a district health board while obtaining occupational registration.

A separate Vietnam special-work policy will also allow 100 chefs and 100 engineering professionals to work here under the same terms.

Meanwhile, Immigration NZ head Andrew Annakin announced last week that the Pacific division, set up Mary Anne Thompson in 2005 when she headed the service, would be reintegrated back into the core service.

An Auditor-General’s report in June found that problems were worse in the division than elsewhere in the agency, which is part of the Department of Labour.

Ms Thompson resigned last year after accusations of conflict of interest in helping her family members to gain residency.

Labour Department CEO Christopher Blake said the new structure “will ensure clear lines of accountability and that the workings of the Pacific division are aligned with the rest of Immigration New Zealand”.

“Recent review findings have informed the way Immigration New Zealand has organised and identified the requirements to deliver immigration services in the most effective and efficient ways. The change is designed to minimise risks to current work and any uncertainty and instability to the department.”

CHANGES TO IMMIGRATION POLICY

From November 30:

*Children of essential-skills work-permit-holders who earn below $33,675 will no longer be regarded as domestic students.

*Special work policies will allow 100 nurses, 20 farm managers and 20 engineers from the Philippines and 100 chefs and 100 engineers from Vietnam to work here.

*Nurses from the Philippines can now work for a district health board while obtaining New Zealand occupational registration

Residency ‘carrot’ lures rich investors

By Lincoln Tan : Source – New Zealand Herald

Thousands of wealthy foreigners are lining up to move here, just weeks out from the introduction of business migration laws that will grant them residency almost immediately.

Under a new Entrepreneur Plus immigration category – effective on November 30 – entrepreneurial migrants who create at least three fulltime jobs and invest $500,000 in their business will be offered a fast track to residency.

Currently, entrepreneur migrants are issued with a long-term business permit and can apply for residency only after two years.

Although there is no minimum investment capital required, neither is there a guarantee their residency application will be approved.

The new scheme will grant conditional residence virtually as soon as an application is made.

“There is no time requirement that you must have operated your business for to be successful under this category,” the Immigration New Zealand website says.

“The Entrepreneur Plus category provides a faster track to residence for migrants who can demonstrate they have been actively participating in business and contributing to New Zealand’s economic development.”

About 12,000 people have registered their interest in the scheme through the service’s website, with 189 looking to invest $1.5 million or more – a total potential investment of at least $283 million.

The service said it has also received formal expressions of interest from 63 potential investors, and 47 had been invited to apply.

The most interest had come from would-be business migrants in the United States, Britain, India, the Philippines and Ireland.

Property development, education, training and tourism were among the most popular areas for potential investment, an Immigration NZ spokesman said.

The Association for Migration and Investment said the Entrepreneur Plus category would provide an incentive to invest more money – and create more employment – as it removed migrants’ concerns about the need for future residency applications.

“Previously, the only option available for business applicants was the long-term business visa, which is not a residence visa, and many applicants under this policy sought to minimise their business investment,” it said.

But chairwoman Coral Wong believed only a small percentage of the 12,000 would apply. “It’s easy to get excited at the numbers, but $500,000 is still a lot of money for migrants to be investing in NZ and there won’t be masses who have that amount to spare.”

Marco Chan of Hong Kong, who plans to open a restaurant in Auckland, said the offer of “immediate residency” was key to his decision to apply under the new category.

CHANGE OF FORTUNES

PREVIOUS POLICY
Investment capital: None.
Job-creation requirement: None.
Length of time to residency: Available after two years.

NEW POLICY
Investment capital: $500,000.
Job-creation requirement: Minimum three fulltimers.
Length of time to residency: Conditional as soon as requirements met.

EARLY INTEREST
* 12,000 looking to invest at least $500,000.
* 189 want to invest $1.5 million or more.

What a change of mood can do for the property market?

Extract from the Crockers Market Research Issue 52, November 2009 Last month we reported on the relative high point in net permanent and long term migration levels – with New Zealand’s net gain in population rising, we showed, primarily as result of fewer departures rather than more arrivals. Even with most new arrivals settling in Auckland, current migration patterns are not enough to account for the buoyancy of the local property market. So what is driving it? In our view, it’s latent demand. That is, people who have been putting off buying because of the recession, and who – collectively – have suddenly decided that, recession or no recession, it’s time to get on with life. It’s not that we’ve suddenly all become optimistic. In fact, we’re still worried about the prospect of losing our jobs (market research company Synovate reported in their May ’09 research study that for 33% of New Zealanders their biggest worry was them or the main household income earner losing their job – up from 29% six months earlier). In fact, New Zealand has one of the highest levels of concern in the Western world around job loss, way ahead of closest neighbour Australia. Despite this gloomy mood, the same research shows that people are now getting on with their lives. In November 2008, 23% of those surveys said they were delaying a major life decision. By May this year, this figure had tumbled to just 16%. Of those 16%, most said the two biggest decisions they were delaying were a change of job and buying into the property market. Further research since then, including data from the Westpac McDermott Miller survey, shows consumer confidence has risen despite GDP still failing to reach positive figures. While this confidence may be fragile, there is little doubt that people are bored with the recession, and are trying to turn themselves around attitudinally, as well as financially. The buoyant Auckland property market is perhaps the clearest sign so far that people have stopped delaying the big decisions in life, and are looking positively to the future.

UK Immigrants unknowingly entering into NZ Sale and Purchase Agreements

A new Blog Post by Steve Koerber regarding new immigrants purchasing homes with major leaky home issues, got me thinking; I back Steve up completely on this stuff and there is also another key issue when it comes to new immigrants buying NZ property, specifically people from the UK.

According to Statistics NZ – 18,361 people came to live in NZ from the UK from July 2008 – July 2009. The house buying process in the UK is somewhat different to NZ. In the UK, a ‘Offer of Purchase’ is made to the vendor from the buyer via an Estate Agent. Ok, so you may be thinking, this is not too different to the NZ way of putting in an offer on a property via a ‘Sale and Purchase Agreement’; but here is the difference: The UK offer is not a legally binding contract like the NZ one is. You can walk away from the UK one at any time and you are also at risk right up until the day of Exchange (our Unconditional day) of being Guzumped or Guzundered.

So, my issue is that UK immigrants are at risk of unknowingly making offers on NZ property and not understanding at the offset that the offer is a legally binding document and they are at risk of losing their deposit or worse.

To aid in this issue, I think that NZ Real Estate Agents should at all times ensure that Immigrants are made aware of the risks of an unconditional Sale and Purchase agreement and advise to set conditions especially a full building report in support of Steve’s blog post as mentioned above. Posted by Jodi Cottle

http://jodicottle.blogspot.com

Net migration at five-year high

 

Dr Ganesh Nana, chief economist at BERL

 

The latest annual net migration figure of more than 17,000 is the highest in five years.

The figure is still well down from 2003’s high of more than 40,000, but it is much higher than last year’s paltry 4400.

 Source : http://www.3news.co.nz

Confidence building on “tough” job market

By JAMES WEIR – The Dominion Post

Workers think there will be more jobs around in a year, and that they will be making more money, according to a bank survey. But for now, times are still “extremely tough” on the job front, with unemployment expected to keep rising to about 7 per cent in the middle of next year. Wage rises are slowing down fast. Workers are feeling much more secure about their jobs and confidence about the labour market is improving, according to the Westpac McDermott Miller Employment Confidence survey. As job security improved, that would eventually translate to a greater willingness to spend, and a greater mood to demand higher wages, Westpac senior economist Donna Purdue said. The bank survey’s overall employee confidence index rose 6.9 points between the June and September quarters to reach 103. It was the second biggest quarterly gain since the survey began in June 2004. An index above 100 indicates there are more optimists than pessimists, while a number below 100 indicates that pessimists outnumber optimists. The survey was carried out in the first half of September. The survey showed the number of workers being paid more than a year ago had fallen. A net 15 per cent of those surveyed said they were better off than a year ago, down from a net 19 per cent in June. More people said jobs were hard to get, at a net 66.5 per cent in September, from a net 65.3 per cent in June. Both of those indicators were the lowest since the survey started five years ago, indicating that many people were getting little or no wage rise. Sales of big ticket products such as cars and furniture were hit the hardest in a time of low job security, so as security improved there should be a lift in sales. The survey result suggested that the worst was over for the jobs downturn.