Chef in pickle over English requirements

Thanishor Kharal has been told his English meets Australian requirements. Picture / Martin Sykes

A Nepalese chef who has been working in New Zealand since 1997 is planning to go to Australia because he has been told his English is not up to scratch.

Chefs are listed as a long-term skill shortage by the Immigration Service but Thanishor Kharal cannot meet the English standards required to be accepted as a permanent resident.

Mr Kharal yesterday told the Herald, in reasonably clear English, he had given up on New Zealand because it was proving too difficult to be fully accepted into the country.

While he has been able to renew work permits, he had hoped to make New Zealand his permanent home and bring over his Nepalese wife and two daughters aged 14 and 8.

Mr Kharal has been advised his English is good enough for Australia, which has a lower threshold, and now plans to move there.

His Australian immigration lawyer, Mark Tarrant, said that Australia had a lower mandatory English language requirement than New Zealand.

"Australia's English language requirements are less onerous than New Zealand's but are still achieving positive settlement outcomes."

Mr Tarrant added that Australia also had a wider skills assessment process than New Zealand's which was overly focused on job offers.

New Zealand would only award points for skilled work experience from a select list of countries whereas Australia would accept experience from any country, he said.

Mr Kharal learned his trade on the job in India which was not listed as a comparable labour market.

He had experience cooking Indian, Chinese and some continental dishes in restaurants including the Indian Hut in Manurewa, the Hazeli Indian Restaurant in Epsom, and the New Delhi Restaurant in Tauranga.

Mr Kharal currently has no job offer as he has for the past three years been trying to make a go of his own business in Hillsborough.

Hospitality Association spokesman Graeme McKay confirmed it was difficult to find reliable chefs.

Graham Baker, group manager service delivery for the Department of Labour, said good English skills were necessary to ensure migrants had the best opportunity to settle into work and life in New Zealand.

It was also important in the workplace for a range of reasons, including the ability to communicate effectively with colleagues and to react promptly to health and safety issues.

Mr Baker said migrants who wanted to work as chefs could either apply for temporary work permits or for residence under the skilled migrant category, depending on their level of experience, qualification and English language skills.

To obtain a work permit for a migrant chef, an employer must show they have tried, and failed, to hire someone in New Zealand.

Mr Baker said chefs who met certain qualification requirements could obtain extra immigration points.

Ethnic chefs who considered themselves highly skilled but did not have formal qualifications, could apply for a NZQA workplace assessment which could also get them points.

Mr Baker said in the financial year of 2004-2005, a total of 2384 work permits for chefs were approved.



JOB POINTS

Australia

* requires English level 5

* awards points for work experience from any country

* job offers not critical


New Zealand

* requires English level 6.5

* awards points for work experience from up to 30 countries

* substantial points for job offers