Elderly ‘at risk’ from visa policy

Changes to immigration policies are being proposed just when more aged-care workers are needed, according to New Zealand Aged Care Association chief executive Simon Wallace.

Immigrants on visas make up a third of New Zealand’s 22,000 agedcare workers and 5000 nurses.

National is proposing tighter rules, including setting a maximum three years for holders of essential skills visas who earn up to $49,000 a year, after which they will be sent back to their country for a stand-down period.

Ryman Healthcare chief executive Gordon MacLeod said the proposed changes were very unsettling for staff at the company’s retirement villages.

‘‘We’ve written to our staff outlining what the changes could mean, and reassuring them that we’re lobbying the Government with the rest of the industry to think about changing the settings.

‘‘We’d love to see the Government grandparent qualified agedcare workers who have already moved here and provide a one-off pathway to residence.

‘‘They’re doing a good job and have built their lives here and we think the proposed changes are unfair to them,’’ MacLeod said.

Christchurch-based Meadow Mushrooms general manager Wayne Collingwood declined to comment about the changes but acknowledged they were a major concern for his company, which employed a large number of its 550 staff on immigration visas.

Andy Borland, chief executive of apple exporter Scales Corporation, said companies in his sector used the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme and therefore the effects would be limited.

The reason New Zealand produced high-quality export apples was companies’ ability to pick at the optimum time without being hit by labour shortages, he said.

Meanwhile, Wallace said the changes were coming in just when the sector would require thousands more workers over the next eight years to cater for a surge in retirement residents.

The annual churn rate among aged-care workers was 25 per cent, highlighting their mobility and the difficulty retaining staff, he said.

‘‘Immigrants are being used as a scapegoat for political expediency so we’re lobbying really hard on this,’’ Wallace said.

The association’s submission to Government included examples of difficulties recruiting Kiwis.

One aged-care company attending an employment forum received 249 queries followed by 138 expressions of interest, resulting in just one person being hired.

In another example a small independent care facility recently received 20 expressions of interest, and two were employed.

People often resigned soon after taking a position for reasons ranging from dislike of shift work to requiring their own transport.

Literacy was a problem and so was failure to pass drug tests, Wallace said.

He said the recent pay equity settlement for care workers will go some way to helping attract more Kiwis into aged care by lifting wages, but immigration would still be essential to address gaps.

‘‘The government proposals will disrupt continuity of care, causing undue stress for vulnerable older people who need the stability and security of trusted relationships with their caregivers, and create additional recruitment costs for employers.’’

Wallace said the changes would also hinder migrant workers’ ability to achieve NZQA Health and Wellbeing certificates before they are required to leave the country.