‘More regional’ approach for immigration
Regionally focused immigration policies will emerge from a shakeup of the system, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says.
In Nelson this week, LeesGalloway said he planned to release proposed changes in the next few months.
He said that overall, the immigration system would become more integrated with other systems.
‘‘Our immigration system needs to recognise that if we’re going to grow the population, we need to have the social infrastructure, and that’s not just housing, it’s education and healthcare as well.
‘‘At the moment, the immigration shortage list is very reactive. So, say we have a shortage of drivers or chefs, we’ll just turn on the tap to deal with that; but there’s no plan of where the industry is going.’’
Lees-Galloway spoke at a Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce event on Thursday. He said the two major aspects of his proposed changes would be more recognition for the regions, and for good employers.
‘‘The first thing we’re interested in is how to make the immigration system more regional, make the shortage lists more regional.
‘‘Each region’s job shortages list is very different, not just in terms of the work available but also how many people are unemployed or under-utilised.’’
He said the plan was to first take the current jobs shortage list and divide it into regions, which he said would probably not be very different from the current state of things, ‘‘but then you can start to build those lists’’.
‘‘We’ll build a system that can acknowledge that while we have a good industry here, in other parts of the country we have a real shortage.’’
Lees-Galloway said another reason to regionalise the jobs shortage list would be to encourage immigrants to move to the regions rather than collecting in Auckland.
‘‘There’s a perception in the regions, especially in the South Island, that the jobs shortage list and immigration are really just catering to Auckland,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s going to take time. People are very excited by the idea of regional lists, and they want that now, but we’re going to have to phase it, because they are quite fundamental changes and we need to make sure we get it right.’’
Lees-Galloway said he also planned to build recognition of good employers into the immigration system. ‘‘We want to take into account a little bit more of the track record of employers, like have they responded to work shortages by increasing wages or making the job more attractive?’’
He said employers with a good track record would be rewarded under the new system. ‘‘We want to build the idea of industry planning into the industry and into the immigration system . . . We want these shortage lists as being not just a tool for immigration but also for education.’’
‘‘There’s a perception in the regions . . . that the jobs shortage list and immigration are really just catering to Auckland.’’
Iain Lees-Galloway, Immigration Minister