New Zealand to ease migration rules to lure more skilled workers

SYDNEY, Australia - New Zealand said on Wednesday it would free up its annual intake of highly skilled migrants and chart a faster route to giving them permanent residency, as rich nations compete to lure the best global talent.

Several developed economies have boosted annual migration numbers or eased visa rules to help key businesses recruit staff to fill shortages after the COVID-19 pandemic brought tighter border controls and kept foreign workers out.

"The changes ... to ensure there is no cap on skilled migrants removes an artificial constraint in the old system," Immigration Minister Michael Woods said in a statement.

He was referring to a yardstick setting an indicative number of residence places each year that kept skilled migrants from settling in New Zealand even if there was a demonstrable need.

"We know many industries are calling for workers as the global labor shortage bites," Woods added.

From October, the government will also simplify its points-based system used to select skilled migrants, so helping to speed scrutiny of visa applications and give migrant workers more certainty regarding eligibility.

New Zealand does not have a formal limit on the annual number of skilled resident visas, but manages the process in a so-called planning range that limits the numbers securing permanent residency.

The move comes as the labor market stayed tight, with the unemployment rate near a record low, while the labor force participation rate hit its highest in the March quarter since the series began in 1993.

"The government has heard from businesses that giving certainty that skilled migrants and their families will be able to gain residence in New Zealand will be a big draw card for attracting skilled workers," Woods said. -- Reuters