New Zealand Immigration News: July 2010

New Zealand Immigration Seminars In Singapore And Malaysia

Iain MacLeod is heading to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and for the first time Penang to present seminars and to offer one on one consultations to those people interested in finding out whether they are eligible for residence of New Zealand and what the possibilities might be for them. If you have friends or family who may wish to attend they can register online by visiting our New Zealand Immigration Seminars page.

Singapore:

Seminar: Saturday 10 July at 10.00 a.m. at the Orchard Hotel, 442 Orchard Road
Consultations: 11, 12, 13, 14 July at the Orchard Hotel. Cost applies.

Seminar: Saturday 17 July at 1000 a.m. at the KL Convention Centre
Consultations 18, 19, 20 July at the Hotel Hilton, 3 Jalan Stesen Sentral. Cost applies.

Penang

Seminar: Thursday 22 July at 7.00 p.m. at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, 10 Lebuh Farquhar 10200 Penang
Consultations: 23, 24 & 25 July at the Eastern & Orient Hotel. Cost applies.

New Zealand Immigration Seminars In South Africa

South African Seminars:

Paul Janssen is ready to return to South Africa this month to present seminars in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria. We are visiting Pretoria for the first time and we know already registration interest is very strong. To register for Paul's seminars visit our New Zealand Immigration Seminars Website page.

Seminar: Wednesday 21 July at 7.00 p.m. at the Michelangelo Hotel, Nelson Mandela Square, West Street, Sandown.
Consultations: 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 & 25 July at the Michelangelo Hotel. Also 6, 7 & 8 August. Cost applies.

Seminar: Monday 26 July 7.00 p.m. at the Commodore Hotel, Portswood Road, V & A Waterfront
Consultations: 27 & 28 July at the Commodore Hotel. Cost applies.

Seminar: Thursday 29 July at 7.00 p.m. at the Riverside Hotel, 10 Northway Drive, Durban North

Consultations: 30, 31 July 1 August at the Endless Horizons Hotel 108 Umhlanga Rocks Drive, Durban North Cost applies.

Seminar: Monday 2 August at 7.00 p.m. at the Centurion Lake Hotel, 1001 Lenchen Avenue North, Centurion.

Consultations: 3, 4, 5 August

Update On Immigration New Zealand Shanghai And Beijing

I didn't realize until I started blogging on this subject how many people were interested in what is going on in those two branches. I think it is fair to say that all hell has been breaking loose since our revelations that skilled migrant applications processed through those two branches (and to that we can add India) have a far lower chance of success than those processed either here in New Zealand or through INZ in London.

Senior Officials within INZ Head Office in Wellington now acknowledge that they have serious problems within those two branches and have proposed “refresher and retraining” courses for Case Officers which they hope will address the shortcomings and the understanding of the aim and intent, along with delivery of the policy. I am not holding my breath. As recently as a week ago INZ was still following inappropriate processes following their settlement interview for skilled migrant cases in INZ Shanghai at least. Incorrect points assessments are still being produced. They are still confused by policy aims and intents.

What is interesting is the difference in skilled migrant outcomes for applications filed in INZ London and those filed in India, Shanghai or Beijing. Figures released under the Official Information Act to us reveal how different the application of policy is.

We first asked in the recent past, how many applicants were granted a nine month Work to Residence Visa following the settlement interview in Beijing, Shanghai, New Delhi and London.

The following was provided.

When asked to provide the number of applications where following the same interview a Residence Visa was granted rather than the Work to Residence Visa:

There is only one rule book and one set of criteria and these figures beg the question why if your case is processed through London do you generally end up with a Residence Visa, but if you are processed through Shanghai, Beijing or India you end up with at best Work to Residence?

Thus far no-one can actually answer that question inside the Immigration Department and what beggars belief is that they don't appear to have either noticed the differences in outcomes, they have ignored the differences in outcomes or if one believed this bureaucracy was capable of conspiracy theories that some direction has been given to treat applicants differently depending on where they are processed.

It is our strong view that there is no conspiracy theory and that this is simply a case of different processing hubs doing their “own thing” and Branch and Regional Managers not applying the policy in the same way.

We have made a number of suggestions to the Immigration Department and the Minister to try and offer greater certainty to the Case Officers and also to applicants (not to mention their Immigration Consultants). It is our view that if following the settlement interview credible evidence has been presented that satisfies INZ that the applicants are awake to both the risks and opportunities that await them in terms of employability in New Zealand; they can show a degree of familiarity with cost of living, lifestyle, education system and so on and they may have some friends or family in New Zealand; if they have claimed points for qualifications and work experience in an area of absolute skill shortage and they have been awarded points for work experience from a labour market deemed comparable to New Zealand, they should be granted a Residence Visa.

Everyone else should expect a Work to Residence Visa.

On a more academic level I, and my senior colleagues here within IMMagine New Zealand, have read the applicable part of policy which guides Immigration Officers on how to assess whether to decline a skilled migrant case, grant a Work to Residence Visa or a Residence Visa and frankly each time we read it we come to a different conclusion! We are, however, helped by the Residence Review Board who for four years (!) has been offering feedback to Immigration which appears to have been ignored. Our reading of the RRV decisions and our own analysis of the policy, makes clear that the expected outcome for those people who are subjected to the interview, is a Work to Residence Visa. Declines should be rare and Residence Visas should also be rare.

The question then has to be asked “Why is INZ London so liberal when it comes to granting Residence Visas and why are Beijing, Shanghai and India so conservative?” We have strongly suggested that the applicable part of policy be rewritten to offer greater certainty and perhaps refine the policy somewhat. What is quite clear is that this policy is designed to enable applicants to get the Work to Residence Visa, travel to New Zealand, test themselves in the local labour market and if then they can secure skilled and relevant employment, to be granted Residence Visas.

What that then means is that not only Shanghai, Beijing and India need “refresher and retaining” but so too does INZ London.

It is certainly my view that the fact that the quality assurance processes within INZ are so poor that it took us and the Residence Review Board to point out this scandal must mean that it is not simply a matter of refresher and retraining courses, but a few Managers either at branch level or above should be replaced. The fact that the decline rates have soared over the last twelve months surely could not have gone so unnoticed by so many for so long.

Getting Jobs In New Zealand, Chickens And Eggs

Many migrants require offers of skilled employment before they can begin the residence process, but equally most employers appear to demand permanent residency, New Zealand citizenship or Work Permits before they will offer jobs. Many migrants find this catch 22 situation to be an insurmountable hurdle to permanent residence.

Few issues it seems cause migrants more grieve than this one.

Is there any way around this?

It has long been our experience and our advice to clients that if we (or they themselves) are confident, but for the job offer, they will qualify for residence of New Zealand, they need to spend time on line assessing how employable they are. Statistically fifty percent of jobs are never advertised in this country, however, but what is clear is that the internet is a good window into the labour market and demand.

Those clients who are satisfied they are employable we then strongly suggest they travel to New Zealand in order to make personal representations to potential employers and recruiters, apply for jobs and if the job is offered remain in New Zealand and file a Work Permit application.

All of this of course comes with risks – what happens if you resign your job, fly to New Zealand, spend six to twelve weeks looking for work and you never get offered a job? Short answer is that you will fly home.

What happens if you resign your job, fly to New Zealand, spend six to twelve weeks finding work, are offered a job but the Work Permit is declined? Short answer is for another job or fly home.

What happens if you resign your job, fly to New Zealand, spend six to twelve weeks seeking work, get a job, get a Work Permit but your permanent residence is declined? Short answer – find another job or fly home.

Even at the depth of the recession during 2008 and 2009 IMMagine New Zealand had two clients that needed job offers to secure their permanent residency who failed to get them. Every other client was able to secure employment, Work Permits and either have secured their permanent residence or are well on their way to doing so.

So what is the difference and why is the success rate for our clients so high?

The answer lies in the strategy we advise our clients to follow which is based on an understanding of how the New Zealand labour market works.

A few points:

1. Generally Recruiters are not interested in you unless they have exhausted all local avenues. This is because they are paid by commission and they don't get their cheque until the candidate (the migrant) has been granted a Work Permit which typically takes around four weeks or so. Do not then rely entirely on recruiters, they are not generally on your side unless it suits them.

2. People listing vacancies online risk getting literally thousands of applications and CVs from people who are not in New Zealand, who they cannot interview, who may never get Work Permits, who may never end up in New Zealand and who may be totally unsuitable for the role. It therefore acts as a filter mechanism. Don't let that put you off if you are a fluent English speaker.

3. Identify potential employers through the internet whether they are advertising vacancies or not. Statistically around forty percent of migrants get jobs through knocking on doors, not through applying for actual listed vacancies. That number is reinforced by the anecdotal statistic that half of the jobs in this country are never advertised.

4. Have as wide a network here in New Zealand as you can – friends and family are a good way of opening doors.

Obviously most migrants don't have extensive networks and there is nothing that you can do about that except get out there, pound the streets and keep a positive frame of mind.

At IMMagine we do work closely with two companies who offer career, CV and interview counselling. Obviously New Zealanders and New Zealand employers are going to be subtly different from wherever you come from and understanding how we interview, how we think and interpreting questions and answers and the whole employment process can make the difference between success and failure.

Overwhelmingly, however, in the face of all the barriers IMMagine New Zealand's clients get their jobs, get their Work Permits and get their permanent residence.

New Zealand: Eighth Happiest Country In The World

According to a recent gallup poll New Zealanders come in at eighth happiest on the planet.

Of 132 countries and 136,000 people ranked Denmark is tops along with Finland, followed by Norway, the Netherlands (probably because they could be about to win the World Cup), Costa Rica, Canada and Switzerland followed by New Zealand.

Sweden, Austria and Australia came in behind New Zealand, with United States just behind them with Belgium, Brazil (I guess until they were knocked out of the quarter finals at the World Cup and they have probably fallen to 132 today) and, of all places, Panama.