Govt raises bar for immigrants

By GREGG WYCHERLEY

Many migrants seeking permanent residency will face tougher requirements next year as the Government tries to deal with a growing number of applicants.

Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel said yesterday that from January 1 applicants for residency under the general skills category - about 60 per cent of immigrants - would need 25 points instead of the present 24.

She said demand had steadily increased over the past year, more noticeably since the September 11 terrorist atrocities.

Britain was still the leading source of immigrants, she said, but expressions of interest from Americans had increased since September 11, although "that hasn't shown its way into applications for residence yet".

The change would not affect the number of migrants entering the country, set at 45,000 a year for the next three years, but should ensure the number getting residency stayed inside the 10 per cent tolerance allowed by the Government.

Ms Dalziel said demand for residency was high, particularly in the skilled-business stream, and forecasts indicated that the general skills pass mark needed to be changed to limit the number of approvals.

"Based on the current points level, we would be tracking to exceed the number of approvals beyond the 10 per cent tolerance."

The adjustment was in line with the Government's immigration policy, which came into effect in October, allowing for revision of the pass mark on a quarterly basis.

The system allows for three residency approval streams, consisting of skilled/business (60 per cent of approvals), family sponsored (32 per cent) and international/humanitarian (8 per cent).

The Immigration Service will monitor the effects of the change and review the pass mark after March 31.

Immigration consultant Aussie Malcolm, of Malcolm Pacific, praised the move but predicted that the Government would have to keep increasing the points pass mark.

"When the country becomes more difficult to get into, it brings forward more highly skilled people who want to get into it," said the former National Party immigration minister.

Increasing the total by just one point did not seem a lot, but it removed a "layer of people".

But another former National Party immigration minister-turned-consultant, Roger Maxwell, said the additional point threatened to shrink the range of source countries in cases where degrees did not quite match Qualifications Authority specifications.

National's immigration spokeswoman, Marie Hasler, said she would prefer to see the standard remain the same, with numbers being limited by a simple cut-off point when the maximum was reached.

"I'm personally not satisfied with a system that changes its criteria and has fluctuating standards," the list MP said.

"It sends a signal New Zealand is governed by whim and ad hoc policies rather than a long-term policy of standards and consistency."