Pacific Islanders flood immigration offices

Press, 5 March 1987, Page 11

Pacific Islanders flood immigration offices

PA Auckland Immigration offices in Auckland say they have been flooded with hundreds of Pacific Islanders inquiring about their eligibility for permanent residence and work permits. A spokesman said that, although there has been a steady rise in inquiries over the last eight months, the number has swelled this year.

The increase is in line with the visa-free entry scheme introduced for Pacific Islanders last year then axed later.

The assistant district superintendent of the Auckland Immigration Office, Mr Vaughan Niven, said a backlog of

work was building up in the department. Staff were under a great deal of pressure. He said most applications for permits or extensions were taking about three weeks, and that period was getting longer. “The upturn in work for us has not reached a peak,” he said. “It is still climbing.”

Mr Niven said many of the inquiries were from people looking for work permits.

From the hundreds of inquiries, only 10 work permits had been granted from the Auckland office for people who entered the country under the

visa-free scheme. All 10 were skilled workers.