Immigrants deceived, says support group

[MotherBear]

Immigrants deceived, says support group
4:00AM Tuesday Jun 30, 2009
By Lincoln Tan

A migrant support group has accused the Government of "taking migrants' money, using their skills and then telling them to bugger off".

Mike Bell, a spokesman for the Move 2 New Zealand Trust, representing mainly migrants from Britain, Europe and South Africa, says migrants not only bring skills and experience to New Zealand, but contribute $8 billion annually to the economy.

He said thousands of migrants who had moved to New Zealand on the promise of permanent work and residency visas were being told to "bugger off".

The Government appeared to be "working hard to sabotage this lucrative source of income by effectively kicking [out] staff that employers badly need", said Mr Bell.

"Worse, this over-reaction to rising unemployment, which is based on poor data, is likely to destroy many more Kiwi jobs than it saves.

"It is totally unethical for this Government to not only turn their backs on a group of people who have made such a strong contribution to the country, but also add to their hardship."

More here.

[francis1962]

Hi Mother Bear

I am to understand from this article that persons who have been accepted as skilled migrants are being refused permanent residency after they have completed their 3 months qualifying employment?

If that is so there seems little point in moving as one has no security.

Francis

[MotherBear]

I get the impression from reading other articles about this that it mainly affects those on temporary work permits rather than those with PR. It seem the problem still remains of whether work will be available when people arrive in NZ whether on WPs or with PR. Hence, it would be advisable to try to find something before you get there unless you're in a line of work where it would be unlikely that a kiwi could do the job satisfactorily.

It must pose quite a difficult problem for people when deciding whether to make the move now or wait until later - but how long is 'later'?

[ExPat]

You can find the answers to the main question right here.

Reserve Bank focused on stability

“The New Zealand economy has been under pressure from the international financial crisis, global recession and weak domestic spending,” Mr Spencer said. “In this volatile climate, our strategic priorities, as set out in the SOI, are to ensure outcomes that we would take for granted in normal times: that our financial markets and institutions continue to operate effectively and continue to support the financing needs of the real economy.
Of course, Sweden is already in a panic and setting interest rates down to 0.25 which isn't good for depositors.

Sveriges Riksbank/Riksbanken - Repo rate cut to 0.25 per cent

The weak development of the economy requires a somewhat more expansionary monetary policy. The Executive Board of the Riksbank has therefore decided to cut the repo rate by 0.25 of a percentage point to 0.25 per cent. The repo rate is expected to remain at this low level over the coming year. At the same time there are several signs that economic activity will improve.

Deep economic downturn

Economic activity abroad is very weak and this hits Sweden hard. Exports have fallen substantially and the situation on the labour market is continuing to deteriorate rapidly. The information received in recent months points to the economic downturn in 2009 being somewhat deeper than the Riksbank forecast in April.

[ExPat]

Seems to be spreading everywhere.


Writers attack new Italian 'race laws' - Europe, World - The Independent

Italy's parliament yesterday gave final approval to a controversial law which criminalises illegal immigration and legalises unarmed vigilante patrols by citizens. The law was assured an easy final passage by being tied to a confidence vote, so that MPs in the ruling coalition were virtually obliged to vote for it.

...

Amnesty International also criticised the legislation, under which it said "irregular migrants will... be prevented from accessing school, medical (including emergency) care and being protected by security forces against crime". The law will also oblige doctors, teachers and civil servants to report immigrants who they discover are illegal to the authorities.

[MotherBear]

Minister asked to look at plight of jobless migrants
9:50AM Saturday Jul 04, 2009

The Immigration Minister is being urged to look at the plight of migrants who have lost their jobs.

The Migrants Action Trust will be raising the issue at a meeting with Jonathan Coleman next week.

Trust spokeswoman Agnes Granada says some migrants were made redundant during the period in which they they lodged their application for permanent residency.

She says some of the applications have been rejected while others have been put aside.

Ms Granada believes migrants seeking a job are being discriminated against as a result of the Government's "Kiwis First" jobs policy.

- NEWSTALK ZB

From here.

[MotherBear]

Redundant migrants 'forced out'
Last updated 05:00 04/07/2009

Redundant migrants are being forced out of New Zealand in droves or ending up destitute on the streets, migrant advocates say.

Mike Bell, director of Christchurch's Skilled Migrant Information and Resource Centre, said the Government's policy of pushing migrants out of the country by denying them work visas was affecting New Zealand's international reputation and would leave employers vulnerable when the recession lifted.

Migrants who were made redundant while on a short-term visa were being told they had as little as 21 days to find another job, leaving them just weeks to decide whether to stay or leave the country they had come to call home, he said.

Even those with job offers who applied for visas were getting declined or facing a wait of up to 72 days to process their application.

In the past such applications could be granted in just one hour if the job was on the skills shortage list.

Bell said people without residency or citizenship had no right to any benefits and could quickly find themselves in a desperate situation.

One German family had ended up separated and living on charity. The father and son lived in the City Mission. The rest of the family was in a refuge. The man had lost his job as a master painter and had not been able to find work since.

An Eastern European family would have been on the streets if the Bells had not taken them into their own home five weeks ago. The father's job was on the skills shortage list and he had been offered more work, but was waiting for his application to be processed.

"These people were brought in to fill our skills shortages and were paying tax," Bell said.

"We are just seeing the tip of the iceberg.

"A lot of people don't ask for help. They just get on a plane and leave, but when they get home they will tell people not to come.

"It's not only going to hurt people and damage the economy and New Zealand employers, our international reputation's going to be mud," he said.

Bell will hold a meeting on the predicament at his Lincoln Rd migrant resource centre next Wednesday.

He has requested an urgent meeting with Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman, but has not heard back.

An Immigration New Zealand spokeswoman said migrants on work permits who lost their jobs needed to approach Immigration New Zealand about their change in circumstances.

There was no specified period for migrants to find a new job after being made redundant.

Processing times for getting a new visa varied, but more than 90 per cent were decided within 60 days.

Coleman said this year that the number of migrants entering, or remaining in, New Zealand on short-term visas would drop during the recession.
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- The Press

From here.

[MotherBear]

Lots of articles coming in now.

Migrants 'lack help' to cope with losing jobs
4:00AM Friday Jul 03, 2009
By Lincoln Tan

Migrant workers in trouble have no one to turn to for help and groups wanting to help find themselves unable to, says a migrant aid group.

"Foreign workers on temporary permits simply fall between the cracks in services provided," said Mike Bell, spokesman for the Skilled Migrant Information Centre.

The Christchurch-based group, which represents migrant workers mainly from Britain, continental Europe and South Africa, has been warned by the office of Associate Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson for helping the family of a German migrant worker who lost his job in the recession.

"It appears you are an unlicensed onshore immigration adviser. While you have this status, under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, you should not provide immigration advice to any client," private secretary Emma Hope wrote.

"Please raise your concerns with the German Embassy as the family have already been advised by Immigration New Zealand they are unable to assist."

The Christchurch-based group helped the family find food and shelter after they ran out of money.

Meanwhile, Philippine Consul-General Emilie Shi says she will be requesting an urgent meeting with Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman because many migrant workers are not coping with the stress of losing their jobs.

Many are here on work-to-residency permits but as the economy tightens and Kiwis get preference for jobs, the migrants are often being refused visa extensions.

Ms Shi knew of one Filipino migrant worker who suffered a stroke after a failed residency application left his family in limbo, and another who had taken his own life.

"The situation is really getting out of hand, and I am seeing new tears and new cases almost every day," Ms Shi said.

"I want to meet the minister not just to highlight what is happening, but to find out once and for all if there are any plans to help these people. I cannot believe the New Zealand Government can be so cruel.

"Research has repeatedly shown the value of migrants to the economy and tourism, especially in trade and export, and I will be asking the Immigration Minister to tell this to Kiwis who are unhappy with immigration, instead of kicking migrant workers out."

A research paper released on Tuesday by the NZ Institute of Economic Research found the immigration policy focus on skills shortages overlooked the part migrants play in linking NZ to international markets.

The study said that if New Zealand receives 10 per cent more migrants from a particular country, exports to that country grow by 0.6 per cent and imports from it by 1.9 per cent, and that migrants from non-English cultures also have the greatest impact when it comes to stimulating tourism.

Director Kenneth Leong, whose employees at Ponsonby language academy Euroasia are all immigrants, said the changes to policy have stopped employers employing the people they wanted. He said stopping employers from retaining employees added to the financial burden of many companies struggling in the current economic climate.

"Businesses are being lumped with further costs to retrain new staff, and many may not have the money or resources to do so in the current recession," said Mr Leong.

"By not renewing the work permits of migrant employees, what Immigration is effectively doing is removing the right of employers to keep the people they want, and possibly killing some local business operations as well."

From here.

[MotherBear]

Migrants treated like waste products - Anderton
By REBECCA TODD - The Press
Last updated 05:00 08/07/2009

New Zealand is treating migrants like waste products using them and then throwing them away, says Wigram MP Jim Anderton.

"They come under policies that allow and encourage them to come, and then when things turn bad we kind of dispose of them like a waste product," he said yesterday. "It's inhumane."

Anderton will attend a meeting today at Christchurch's Skilled Migrant Information and Resource Centre on fair treatment for migrants who are being forced out of New Zealand if they lose their jobs.

He said skilled migrants should be given time and help in finding another job if made redundant and should qualify for government assistance while unemployed.

Migrants in his electorate had been caught out by the change in economic conditions and were being told to head home.

"People come here in good faith with good skills to offer," Anderton said.

"It shouldn't be that long before things pick up again and we'll be after the same skills, but people burnt by this won't be enthusiastic about recommending New Zealand."

Offers of work have been flooding in for Colin Kemp after a Press story last Saturday.

Kemp and his family are stranded in Christchurch after moving from Scotland 18 months ago. Since being made redundant in March, both Kemp's trades have been taken off the skills-shortage list.

The Kemps are now classed as overstayers and are relying on relatives in Scotland to pay for their tickets home.

Kemp said it was good to have offers of work, but the situation had gone beyond that.

His father was in hospital in Glasgow with just weeks to live, he said, and the family did not have next week's rent, let alone time to wait for another work visa that he may not get.

Migrant advocate Mike Bell said Immigration New Zealand needed to start giving consistent advice to migrants.

"If they're in occupations New Zealand doesn't need, they shouldn't be coming," he said.

"A lot of people aren't aware of what has been a very sudden change in the situation."

Bell said some foreign workers were being declined visas even when their job was on the skills-shortage list. "Nobody really knows who can get through and who can't," he said.

Immigration New Zealand service delivery group manager Steve Cantlon said he sympathised with families who had to return home because of the "changing labour market". However, temporary workers had always known there was no certainty that their permits would be extended or that they would be able to progress on to permanent residence.

From here.

[charming]

All of this is very disturbing news. If granted a work to residence visa, I have an chance of 9 months to look for a job. What if i don't find a job within the stipulated period? Does this mean I have to get out of NZ?