New Zealand needs to re-focus immigration policy on skilled and business migrants in order to attract talent.

The New Zealand Immigration Programme actively manages the number of approvals for skilled and business migrants.

In addition to the programme details outlined below, Government is also working on a Talent Visa - a means of attracting highly employable people who will then be able to move from temporary to permanent residence status.

The programme also introduces more flexibility about who can be included in a resident's application, or be sponsored by New Zealand citizens or residents in order to reflect the diversity of migrant family relationships.

The programme at a glance
Three Streams
There will be three streams of migrant approvals: Skilled/Business; Family Sponsored; and International/Humanitarian with set approvals for each group.

Number of Approvals
The number of approvals will be managed at 45,000 per annum (plus or minus 10 percent) and maintained at that level for three years.

Approvals will be set at achievable levels that reflect current approval numbers in each stream.

Passmark
The Minister of Immigration will no longer need to intervene to manage the passmark in the General Skills category to maintain its proportionality with other migrant categories. This will be managed by set approvals for each migrant stream and set quarterly rather than weekly.

What's new for skilled or business migrants seeking residence
Number of Approvals
Approvals will be at around 60% of all total approvals. That's at least 27,000 approvals each year in the Skilled/Business stream.

Approval Passmark
The passmark will be confirmed quarterly by the Minister of Immigration.

Applying for residence for dependent family members
Dependent Child
The definition of a dependent child is now expanded to recognise financially dependent children up to and including 24 years of age.

Spouses and Partners
The numbers of spouses and partners that can be sponsored will be limited to two applications with at least five years between them in cases involving separation and divorce.

Sponsoring a less-dependent family member
New Zealanders wishing to sponsor less-dependent relatives are responsible for providing accommodation and financial support for the first two years of the sponsored relative's residence in New Zealand.

Period of Residence
Sponsors will need to be resident in New Zealand for at least three years before they can sponsor less dependent relatives.

Oaths and Declarations
Sponsors will now need to make a declaration enforceable under the Oaths and Declarations Act 1957 that they can meet these responsibilities.

Enforcing Responsibilities
The sponsorship undertaking will be enforced so that, if appropriate, legal action will be taken to recover costs from sponsors who fail to honour their obligations.

Which less-dependent family members can be sponsored
Parents
If the majority or equal number of siblings in one family live in New Zealand then the parents can apply for residence under what's called the "centre of gravity" principle. Children can also sponsor parents who are "alone in their home country".

The definition of a parent is now expanded to include grandparents, where parents are deceased. And where parents are deceased the definition now also includes legal guardians.

Adult siblings and adult children
New Zealanders' adult brothers or sisters or adult children (and their dependents) who are married or unmarried, who have no other brothers or sisters or parents living in the same country are now eligible to be sponsored.

All adult siblings and adult children now require an offer of employment in New Zealand to be eligible for sponsorship.

Family members who do not qualify under any other residence category
A Family Quota will be available for parents, grandparents, siblings and adult children of New Zealanders who do not qualify under any other residence category. The quota size will be announced each year.

In 2001/02 there will be 250 places in this category. Sponsors need to register for a place in the quota for their family member/s between 2 April-30 April 2002. Registration must take place in New Zealand.

Applicants for the Family Quota do not need a psychiatric or specialist health report to be eligible.

This along with other new categories in the International/Humanitarian stream replaces the Humanitarian Category.

Relationships that end due to domestic violence
Ex-partners of New Zealanders whose relationship has ended due to domestic violence and who cannot return home for cultural and social reasons can now apply for residence.

Refugee families
Three hundred places will be available for family members of residents who are former refugees. Those family members must have been unable to gain entry though any other category.

New Zealand Immigration Programme Streams

	Skilled / Business Stream	Family Sponsored Stream	International / Humanitarian Stream
Categories included	From 1 October 2001: General Skills Business	From 1 October 2001: Spouses / partners Dependent Children Parents Adult Children/Siblings Family Quota (registration April 2002)	From 1 October 2001: Refugee Status Refugee Quota Samoan Quota Domestic Violence Policy From 1 July 2002: Refugee Family Policy
Approvals for each stream	27,000	14,500	3,500
Tolerance	+/- 2,700	+/- 1,450	+/- 350