Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse today announced a package of changes designed to better manage immigration and improve the long-term labour market contribution of temporary and permanent migration.
“The Government is committed to ensuring inward migration best supports the economy and the labour market,” Mr Woodhouse says.
“It’s important that our immigration settings are attracting the right people, with the right skills, to help fill genuine skill shortages and contribute to our growing economy.
“That is why we are making a number of changes to our permanent and temporary immigration settings aimed at managing the number and improving the quality of migrants coming to New Zealand.”
Changes to permanent immigration settings include introducing two remuneration thresholds for applicants applying for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC), which will complement the current qualifications and occupation framework.
“One remuneration threshold will be set at the New Zealand median income of $48,859 a year for jobs that are currently considered skilled. The other threshold will be set at 1.5 times the New Zealand median income of $73,299 a year for jobs that are not currently considered skilled but are well paid,” Mr Woodhouse says.
“The SMC points table, under which individuals claim points towards their residence application, will also be realigned to put more emphasis on characteristics associated with better outcomes for migrants.
“Collectively these changes will improve the skill composition of the SMC and ensure we are attracting migrants who bring the most economic benefits to New Zealand.”
The Government is also proposing a number of changes to temporary migration settings to manage the number and settlement expectations of new migrants coming to New Zealand on Essential Skills work visas.
The changes include:
“I want to make it clear that where there are genuine labour or skills shortages, employers will be able to continue to use migrant labour to fill those jobs,” Mr Woodhouse says.
“However, the Government has a Kiwis first approach to immigration and these changes are designed to strike the right balance between reinforcing the temporary nature of Essential Skills work visas and encouraging employers to take on more Kiwis and invest in the training to upskill them.
“We have always said that we constantly review our immigration policies to ensure they are fit for purpose and today’s announcement is another example of this Government’s responsible, pragmatic approach to managing immigration.”
Public consultation on the changes to temporary migration settings closes on 21 May, with implementation planned for later this year.
For more information visit:
www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/media-centre/news-notifications/skilled-migrant-category-changes
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) has launched a new service designed to help early-stage exporters learn the fundamentals of becoming a successful export business.
NZTE’s new service, Export Essentials, consists of two parts. There are ten online guides that cover the basics of exporting that businesses can work through in their own time and pace. There is also a hands-on, collaborative two-day workshop, where participants will learn proven methods for successful exporting and leave with practical tools that they can apply directly to their business.
“We’re really excited to add Export Essentials to our range of services. I believe this answers a real gap in the market for exporters to learn practical tools to create a go to market plan, alongside fellow exporters’” said Suzie Marsden, NZTE General Manager for Services.
“New Zealand has approximately 12,000 exporting companies but about 11,000 of these earn less than $5 million a year in international revenue, so there’s a real opportunity to help some of these companies be more successful internationally,” she said.
“Export Essentials is designed to help companies who are in the early stages of exporting build their export awareness, readiness and capability. The online guides walk companies through everything from market validation and research to pricing, and the workshops will help participants to develop an export plan and learn proven approaches for global growth.”
“Building an international business from New Zealand is tough and we see a lot of Kiwi companies turning up in-market without being as prepared as they could be. We created Export Essentials with the aim that in time more companies will arrive in-market better prepared, better equipped and more likely to succeed in competitive international markets,” she added.
“We’ve worked closely with our industry partners who also support exporting companies to make sure the services we offer are complementary and not a duplication of what’s already available.”
“We also undertook a lot of testing with some of our current customers to develop the right content for these guides and workshops so I’m confident that Export Essentials will make a tangible difference to some early-stage exporters who are unsure of where to go for help or information,” said Ms Marsden.
The Export Essentials online tools and resources are free to access, and are part of a wider range of refreshed information, tools and resources on NZTE’s website. The workshops are co-funded by NZTE, with a contribution of $1,000+GST per attendee for the two days and follow-up session with the course provider. Export Essentials workshops for 2017/18 will be in five centres around New Zealand: Auckland, Napier, Wellington, Nelson and Christchurch.
For more information about Export Essentials, to register for a workshop, or to find out more about the benefits of becoming an NZTE customer, visit www.nzte.govt.nz/events/export-essentials-workshops
| An NZTE release || April 19, 2017 |||
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