BusinessNZ has welcomed the immigration policy released by ACT today. The key changes include freeing up visas for workers and parents of existing migrants. In replacement of the existing temporary work visa scheme, a fee-based scheme where businesses would pay the same sponsorship levy regardless of industry would be in place.
"Businesses are struggling with the restrictive system for work visas and the complicated system for bringing in skilled migrants, which is making it hard for firms to access the skills they need. Among the business community, there is confusion about NZ’s policy-making on immigration which does not seem to recognise the importance of migration to this country,” said Catherine Beard, BusinessNZ Advocacy Director.
“Business requires open, simple, permissive immigration settings to meet the challenge of severe skill shortages and reduce economic and social harm. We will be interested to see the immigration policies of all parties in the run-up to the next election, as a better approach is required in this important policy area.”
