Policy changes troubling for SIT’s finances
The Southern Institute of Technology could lose almost $7 million if proposed changes to immigration policies affecting international students go ahead.
At the start of the month, the Government announced proposals to change poststudy work rights for international students. The intention of the policy changes was to eliminate migrant exploitation and make sure migrants who were granted residency contributed to the skills the country needed.
SIT chief executive Penny Simmonds said the changes were a massive overkill and would do enormous damage to the regions. Under the proposed changes, students doing a degree of less than two years at level 7 or below would not be able to get a post-study work visa.
This would have a considerable impact on the number of international students doing chef training, as it was a two-year course, Simmonds said.
There was a shortage of qualified chefs in the Southland region and in Queenstown and, with the tourism growth predicted, the situation was not likely to change, she said. International students coming to SIT with a degree who were looking to complete a postgraduate diploma would also no longer qualify under the proposed changes.
Partners of international students studying at a postgraduate level or higher could qualify for a partner of student work visa only if the student was studying in an area specified on the Long Term Skill Shortage List.
Children of international students would qualify as domestic students only if the partner of a student got a work visa.
Simmonds estimated that they would lose several students who were enrolled in the postgraduate business enterprise diploma and master of applied management programmes. The students would not come here for 18 months without their families, Simmonds said.
There would also be a loss from the workforce as the partners of students would no longer qualify for a work visa.
Based on the 2017 figures for international students, Simmonds believed the institute would lose $6.79m out of a total of $11.3m. The proposed policies go against what the Southland regional strategy sets out to do, Simmonds said. SIT was working on a submission, she said.
Southland Multicultural Society president Meggy Bartlett-McBride said there was a lot of concern about the proposed changes from international students in Invercargill.
International students made up a large majority of the society’s membership, Bartlett-McBride said. However, she emphasised that the changes were only proposed at this stage.
The society organised a presentation on the proposed changes with immigration lawyer Shane Robinson, of Hewat Galt Law, for international students and other migrants to inform them about how they may be affected. It was the first time the society had held an event about immigration issues, Bartlett-McBride said.
Robinson spoke to a packed room at the Southland Community House on Kelvin St about the proposed changes.
It was not going to be easy for students to get work visas for their partners if the proposals become law, he said.
An intention of the changes was to encourage migrants into higher levels of study, Robinson said. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and partner Clarke Gayford have welcomed their first baby, a girl.
The baby was born at 4.45pm at Auckland Public Hospital and weighs 3.31 kilograms.
‘‘I’m sure we’re going through all of the emotions new parents go through, but at the same time feeling so grateful for all the kindness and best wishes from so many people. Thank you,’’ Ardern said.
Ardern went to hospital early yesterday, announcing she was handing over the top job to Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters.
The couple announced at the start of 2018 that they were expecting in June. ‘‘We’re both really happy.
‘‘We wanted a family but weren’t sure it would happen for us, which has made this news unexpected but exciting,’’ she said at the time.
The prime minister discovered she was pregnant during coalition negotiations in October, but waited until January 19 to share the news with the country. She plans to take six weeks off work and then Gayford will take up the role of fulltime stay-at-home dad.
With Ardern in hospital, Peters took up the role of acting prime minister.
Peters said it was ‘‘a happy day and on behalf of the coalition government we wish her and Clarke all the very best’’.