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Just a day after Australia and America announced changes to visas for foreign workers, New Zealand has revealed it will tighten access to its skilled work visas.
- Like Australia, the aim is to upskill and incentivise the hiring of nationals
- Minimum income of NZ$49,000 will form part of the changes for "skilled" visa
- Migration has become a hot topic ahead of September general election
New Zealand Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse said he was taking a "Kiwis-first approach to immigration", echoing Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and US President Donald Trump in announcing policies to ensure jobs for Australians and Americans.
Mr Turnbull confirmed the 457 visa would be abolished and replaced with two new visas in a bid to prioritise "Australian jobs", followed a short time later by Mr Trump's "Buy American, Hire American" executive order which seeks to review the US visa program for skilled foreign workers.
The changes to be introduced to New Zealand later this year include introducing a minimum income requirement, making it more difficult for family members to join visa holders and limiting the amount of time seasonal workers are allowed to stay in the country.
"These changes are designed to strike the right balance ... and encourage employers to take on more Kiwis and invest in the training to upskill them," Mr Woodhouse said.
Migration has become a hot topic in the lead up to New Zealand's general election on September 23.
A boom in new arrivals has helped the New Zealand economy race along with some of the strongest gross domestic product growth in the developed world.
But opposition parties and the central bank have called for a review of current policies, citing low wage growth and soaring house prices spurred by the influx.
Many sectors, such as technology and construction suffer from a severe shortage of workers and companies in these areas were recruiting many of their workers from offshore.
Under the changes, employers would need to provide a minimum income of $NZ49,000 for anyone entering on a prioritised "skilled" visa.
Anyone earning more than $NZ73,000 would be classed as highly skilled.
Reuters/ABC
Topics: immigration, donald-trump, foreign-affairs, world-politics, new-zealand, asia