Huge rises in visa processing fees announced this morning could keep families apart and deter migrant workers from moving to New Zealand, with knock-on effects for the entire economy, specialist immigration lawyer Stewart Dalley says.
The changes will hike fees for many resident and temporary visa applications, including for family members and partners, by around 50%. The cost of applying in the Active Investor Plus category will soar by 250%.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says the changes, which take effect from October 1, will shift the costs of the immigration system from taxpayers to visa applicants, resulting on savings of $563 million over four years.
“We’re ensuring it’s self-funding and more efficient,” she says, adding: “The charges remain competitive in comparison to countries like Australia and the United Kingdom.
“So, we are confident New Zealand will continue to be an attractive destination to live, work, study and visit.”
A full schedule of the new fees is available here.
Dalley, a partner at D&S Law and the convenor of The Law Association’s Immigration & Refugee Law committee, says he’s never seen costs jacked up to such an extent.
“We haven’t seen this level of increase in at least a decade,” he says
“No one’s tested the potential impact or asked those questions, that I’m aware of.”
Dalley is concerned the new fees represent a “huge” financial barrier to migrants who want their family to join them in New Zealand.
“We’ve already seen a change recently where so-called low-skilled workers are no longer able to sponsor their partners for visas. Now we’re seeing a substantial increase in partner fees,” he says.
“What does that say to people? It says your family is not welcome in New Zealand.”
Dalley says people looking at migration options may now choose other countries over New Zealand, potential depriving the economy of much-needed labour.
“The long-term implication is you get fewer migrants wanting to come here to work. Employers have been desperate to recruit migrants,” he says.
“Yes, we have unemployment in this country but it’s not at a significant level and people who are unemployed don’t necessarily have the skills to fill the gaps that there are in the country.”
Dalley rejects the government’s argument that the changes are aimed at making the immigration system more efficient.
“It’s economically driven. It’s got nothing to do with making the immigration system better for anybody, whether that’s a migrant, an employer or whoever,” he says.
“It’s literally just to pay for our supposed tax cut, which nobody’s seen in real terms
“But the potential knock-on impact is on families and dissuading people to come and work here.”
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