Fears visa plan will put families off

A change to work rights for partners of migrants is going ahead next month in the face of concerns from immigration experts.

Until now, a partner could get an open work visa — but in the future only partners of green list workers will be able to do that.

Migrant couples will instead have to find accredited employers to sponsor applications for each of them — or have a partner who is able to visit but not work.

Immigration adviser Borey Chum wants the government to rethink the policy, saying it could lead to families choosing other countries to work in.

“I would like to see Government doing a U-turn on their decision for some of the partners to get visitor visas instead of work visas.

“New Zealand is competing internationally for skilled migrants. If you’re a family you want the right to work for both of you when you arrive.

“You’re swamped with a lot of bureaucracy coming to New Zealand and to have more bureaucracy involved is not settling at all.

“And again, another [visa] process means issues of resourcing. So the Government are potentially hitting themselves with a stick in terms of being able to process the right for partners to have work visas so that they can work as a family and put food on the table.”

Immigration minister Michael Wood said keeping open work visas for partners would run counter to its accredited employer work visas, which offered protection against workplace exploitation.