Executive Summary

This report has been prepared in response to a request for information for the OECD's 2009 publication 'International Migration Outlook'. This annual publication is an output of the OECD's Continuous Reporting System on Migration (known by its French acronym SOPEMI), now in its thirty-first year.^[1]

The New Zealand report utilises data from existing sources and provides an overview of key findings and policy developments for the 2007/08 financial year.

The topics covered by this report are:

• Migration movements;
• Flows of refugees and asylum seekers;
• Growth and characteristics of the foreign-born population;
• Employment status of the foreign-born population;
• Principal developments in migration policy;
• Irregular migration;
• Policies and measures aimed at integration of children of migrants into the labour market or society;
• Anti-discrimination and diversity measures;
• Social integration outcomes and polices; and
• Migrants and entrepreneurship.

This report contains information for the year ending 30 June 2008. Relevant data from the 2006 New Zealand census is also included. Where available, gender breakdown has been provided. Information about New Zealand-born people where either one or both parents are foreign-born is not provided in the census data, and therefore unavailable.

Migration Movements

In 2007/08 there were 85,200 permanent long-term arrivals and 80,500 permanent long-term departures. Permanent long-term arrivals exceeded departures by 4,700 (compared with a net migration of 10,100 in the previous 12 month period)

In 2007/08, there were 46,077 people approved for residence in New Zealand through 24,722 applications. The largest applicant stream was Skilled/Business, where 27,303 people were approved for residence. The other streams, in order of number of people approved for residence, were: Uncapped Family/Sponsored (9,460); Parent/Sibling/Adult Child (5,177); and International/Humanitarian (4,137). Great Britain contributed the greatest number of residence approvals (22 percent).

Around 1.5 million people were granted temporary visitor, student, or work permits upon arrival in New Zealand in the year to June 2008. Work permits were granted to 130,462 applicants, and the leading source country was the United Kingdom with 20,431 applicants. Student permits were issued to 69,193 people, and China was the leading source country with 16,366 student permits issued. New Zealand has working holidaymaker schemes with 27 partner countries, and in 2007/08 there were 34,890 working holidaymaker permits issued.

Flows of refugees and asylum seekers

Two hundred and sixty seven people sought asylum in New Zealand to year ending June 2008. Leading source countries for asylum seekers were Iraq (46), Sri Lanka (36), and Iran (22). New Zealand decided 275 refugee status claims in 2007/08. New Zealand also accepts up to 750 refugees annually as per its Refugee Quota. In 2007/08, Myanmar was the leading source nationality of Quota Refugees, contributing 251 nationals.

Stock of foreign-born population

As at 30 June 2008, the population of New Zealand was estimated at 4,268,600. As of the 2006 census, 22.9 percent of people usually living in New Zealand were foreign-born. The greatest source regions were the United Kingdom (and Ireland), and Asia, each contributing 29 percent of the foreign-born population.

Employment status of the foreign-born population

In 2007/08, 69 percent of Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) principal applicants gained points for current employment, while an additional 15 percent had an offer of employment.

Figures from the 2006 census show that 25 percent of New Zealand's working-age population (those aged 15 and over) were born overseas. Between the years 2001 and 2006, New Zealand's working-age population grew by around 271,000. Sixty percent of this growth was due to increased numbers of working-age migrants. Of the migrant population, those born in the United Kingdom and Ireland had the highest employment rate at 97 percent. Migrants born in Asia had the lowest employment rate at 91 percent.

Results from the first wave of statistics were released from New Zealand's Longitudinal Immigration Survey in May 2008. The survey sample was selected from migrants who arrived in New Zealand permanently between 2004 and 2005. Six months after gaining permanent residence, skilled principal migrants have the highest employment rates (93 percent). Business migrants have the lowest employment rate (55 percent).

Principal Developments in Migration Policy

A new immigration bill, a complete rewrite from first principles of the existing legislation, was introduced into Parliament in July 2007. The bill is currently awaiting its second reading in parliament.

The major policy development concerning foreign workers over the past year has been the establishment of a new temporary work policy framework called Essential Skills Policy which allows for the policy settings to be tailored to the skilled level of the occupation, enabling better targeting of risks and opportunities.

Other developments include:

• a longer open work permit for graduates of New Zealand tertiary institutions;
• establishment of a new Active Investor policy for business migrants;
• further implementation of the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme.

Irregular migration

A total of 1,477 overstayers^[2] left New Zealand - of these around fifty percent were removed and the remainder left voluntarily. The number of overstayers in New Zealand was estimated to be 17,485 in October 2007. Overstayers have no entitlement to work in New Zealand.

New Zealand has been investing more resources into intelligence building, fraud analysis and the prosecution capacity of the Department of Labour, as well as improving the co-ordination and alignment of the core border agencies and their operations at the border, in order to reduce illegal migration activity and actively deter people from targeting New Zealand.

Policies and measures aimed at the integration of children of migrants into the labour market or society

Integration of children of migrants into New Zealand's labour market and society is supported through several measures. These include children approved for residence in New Zealand given full access to government subsidies for education fees, the labour market and to apprenticeships. There are no specific policies which give any specific groups of children of migrants special access to the New Zealand labour market.

Funding for schools is provided through the Ministry of Education for language support for students who are recent migrants, refugees or first generation children of migrants or refugees.

Anti-discrimination and diversity measures, and social integration outcomes and policies, with respect to migrants

New Zealand maintains legislation that promotes anti-discrimination and diversity, including the Human Rights Act 1993 and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Anti-discrimination and/or promoting diversity is a special focus of national organisations such as the Human Rights Commission and the Office of Ethnic Affairs.

Perceived discrimination toward migrant and minority groups exists in New Zealand. A recent study by the Human Rights Commission found that 68 percent of respondents felt that there was discrimination against Asians, followed by discrimination against recent immigrants (62 percent). Fifty-six percent of respondents felt there was discrimination against refugees.

Measures to facilitate social integration outcomes

The New Zealand Settlement Strategy brings together government agencies to present a coordinated approach to providing services for migrants, refugees and their families. Since the last report provided in 2007, 17 of the 25 actions under the Settlement National Action Plan (SNAP) have been completed.

The Ministry of Education has implemented many initiatives and support programmes targeted towards migrant and refugee youth including English language programmes, and access to computers and internet technology. The Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs also has language programmes to encourage and preserve the use of Pacific languages, particularly Niuean, Tokelauan, and Cook Island Maori.

Social housing is available to people who have held Permanent Residence in New Zealand for at least two years. Quota Refugees are entitled to access this service immediately.

Recent research (2007) examining where migrants settle in New Zealand found that migrants are influenced by the existence of earlier migrant networks in any given region, rather than the performance of the local labour market.

Entrepreneurs

New Zealand's Long Term Business Visas (LTBVs) provide people the opportunity to establish businesses. LTBV's were granted to 71 applicants in the year ending 30 June 2008.

A recent (2007) study shows that migrant businesses approved under the current LTVB policy are more profitable than New Zealand businesses in general. Overall, a greater percentage of migrant businesses employ more workers than businesses owned by non migrants.

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Footnotes

^[1] For more information on the OECD report.

^[2] Excluding ex-refugees.

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