NZ First Announces Immigration Reform Policies

New Zealand First has today announced a number of campaign policies that will make sweeping changes to current immigration laws.

New Zealand’s immigration system must serve New Zealand and New Zealanders.

For too long, governments have relied on immigration to drive headline economic growth and cheap labour. The result has been greater pressure on housing, infrastructure and public services, increased competition for entry-level jobs, and declining public confidence that immigration is being managed in the national interest.

Population growth must not outpace our ability to build the country.

New Zealand First will substantially reduce non-essential immigration and restore the principle that immigration is a privilege, not a right.

New Zealand is more than an economy. It is a nation with its own history, institutions and way of life.

Immigration policy should strengthen social cohesion and encourage integration into a shared national community.

The foundation of any proper immigration system in our country should be the value placed on New Zealand citizenship.

New Zealand needs to start viewing our citizenship as most other countries around the world do – it is a privilege that comes with special and unique rights and identity.

We need to understand the importance of a country’s citizenship and the reasons why we must protect and enhance what it means to be a New Zealander.

This does not take away from the ability for migrants looking to move here, contribute, and help build our country from showing total commitment and patriotism for New Zealand by becoming a citizen.

Even the most basic of privileges and rights in any country like voting has become more like an expectation for all, rather than a unique right for New Zealanders.

In addition to the already announced policies of citizen’s only voting and citizen’s only NZ Super, New Zealand First will introduce the following policies in the next term of government:

• Birthright Citizenship – New Zealand First will update birthright citizenship requirements, so that only the children of citizens will be automatically entitled to New Zealand citizenship at birth.
• Asylum Seeker Changes – New Zealand First will reform the asylum seeker system, updating current settings so that they are fair, consistent, and fit for purpose. Protected person status will become temporary by design, subject to ongoing assessment.
  • Any person who seeks asylum while in New Zealand on a working-class visa will be ineligible to do so.
  • Asylum claimants will not be able to use the temporary work rights granted during the assessment period as a stepping stone to another visa.
• Permanent Resident and Citizenship Qualifying Period Adjustments – New Zealand First will double the required period to qualify for citizenship from five years to a minimum of ten years. The qualifying period for permanent residence will be extended from two to five years.
• Citizenship and Permanent Residence Application Fees – New Zealand First will increase the cost of applying for New Zealand citizenship and permanent residence to reflect its value and to better fund the wider immigration system.
• Welfare Stand-Down Period – New Zealand First will implement a 10-year welfare stand-down period for all visa holders, meaning non-citizens will be ineligible for jobseeker, accommodation supplement, or any other benefits during their first 10 years in New Zealand.
• Broadened Ability to Deport – New Zealand First will widen the criteria for deportation liability to cover any offence for which imprisonment is available as a sentence – with automatic deportation for those found guilty of violent or sexual crimes, found guilty of fraud, participating in an organised criminal group, money laundering, aiding and abetting under the Immigration Act, or migrant exploitation.
• Resident Visa Cap Referendum – New Zealand First will hold a referendum on the introduction of a legislated annual cap on the number of resident visas issued each year. Included in the Resident Visa Cap Referendum will be:
  • A resident visa cap of 20,000 per year.
  • Linking immigration settings directly to infrastructure capacity.
  • Requiring major population growth to occur only where infrastructure already exists or is fully funded and scheduled for delivery.
  • Stopping councils being forced to adapt to central government planning where local infrastructure cannot support it.
  • Development of a 30-year Population Plan to coordinate immigration, housing and infrastructure planning.
• Social Housing for Citizens First – New Zealand First will ensure that social housing will be made available to citizens first and foremost.
• Chronic Overstayers – New Zealand First will implement a 24-month amnesty for overstayers to self-deport with no restrictions on applications to return.
  • Any overstayer found past the clemency period has lapsed will be deported and permanently ineligible to apply for any visa in the future.
  • In recognition of our commitment to our enduring Pacific relations, we will allow for a 24-month clemency period to facilitate any Pacific overstayer to apply to remain in the country legally on a valid visa. This will apply only to overstayers of Pacific origin.
• Student Visa Holders – New Zealand First will ensure student visa holders intending to transition to another visa will be required to leave before reapplying for another visa from abroad.
• Removal of Automatic Work Rights for Student Visa Holders – New Zealand First will remove the automatic work rights for international students and stop our kiwi jobs being taken by foreign students.
  • Export education was designed to allow foreign students to come here, their economy pay for their education, and go back. It was not designed to allow them to take jobs off kiwis, have our economy pay for their education, and then to use the visa to move on to residence or work.
  • It will be mandatory for any international student who wants to work in New Zealand while they study to apply under strict conditions to work. First and foremost, those job opportunities cannot be taken from New Zealanders looking for work.
• Immigration Ministerial Portfolio – It is imperative that a New Zealand First Minister holds the Immigration portfolio when part of the next coalition government to ensure the oversight, control and reform of the immigration system.

New Zealanders have the right to determine the future size and character of their country.

This set of polices is about taking back control of the future of our country and valuing our unique citizenship the way it should be – just like the vast majority of other countries do around the world.