Govt eases immigration regulations

Press, 30 October 1981, Page 3

Govt eases immigration regulations

PA Wellington The Government has relaxed immigration requirements for some of the skilled people wishing to come to New Zealand from three European countries. The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) has said that the Government had recently decided it would relax the requirement that migrants within the list of skilled trades had to have guaranteed jobs before they were accepted. He envisaged this would apply mainly in Britain and Western Europe. Mr Muldoon revealed the change while answering questions after his address to the Manufacturers' Federation conference in Wellington.

Asked for details yesterday. the assistant secretary (immigration) of the Labour Department, Mr Peter Jones, said it had been arranged on a six-month trial basis and began two months ago. It applied to a number of highly skilled occupations which had been on the list of occupations qualifying people for immigration for some time, with acceptance being subject to a job being guaranteed. Mr Jones said the reason for the trial was that “with some of them, although we know there has been a demand for these skills, it has not been easy to get the potential employees in touch with employers.

"We know the work is here.. We know they are wanted. So on a trial basis we are allowing single people, or married people without children, to come from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, or West Germany.” Mr Jones said. “We are quite confident they will get work because they are in demand." he said.

Giving examples of occupations involved. Mr Jones said. "We are talking of skills such as toolmakers, diemakers. systems analysts, computer programmers, various types of fitters, and instrument makers." The scheme was not for the major energy projects alone, he said. "It is a general thing. But obviously it may have a spin-off for the major projects." he said. Asked why it was being restricted to"three European countries. Mr Jones said. “First, it is on a trial basis, and naturally when things are on a trial basis you restrict them. “Second, these are countries where we know people have qualifications readily acceptable to employers, and we would not expect them to have difficulties getting jobs."

An extra immigration official was recently appointed to the High Commission in London, but Mr Jones said this officer was not sent "because of this specific thing."

"The London office is working very hard because of the great interest in coming to New Zealand," he said. “There is a heavy volume of work. New Zealand is considered to be a very attractive country with a good future." The’ Labour employment spokesman, Mr E. E. Isbey. said yesterday that the Government was opening "immigration floodgates" to skilled migrants, while New Zealand's unemployed stayed untrained and its skilled tradesmen left.

"The net loss of people from this country under the Government is like a neutron bomb’ being droppd on a city the size of Christchurch — all the population have gone but the buildings and potential remain,” Mr Isbey said.