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Immigration Rebalance

28 February 2023

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The New Zealand government introduced new immigration policies in May 2022 to encourage employers to use the local workforce to fill lower-skilled, lower-paid roles. These changes are designed to reduce the reliance on migrant workers and partners of temporary migrant workers in these roles.

The new policies include:

  • Increasing the minimum wage for migrant workers
  • Making it more difficult for employers to sponsor migrant workers for lower-skilled, lower-paid roles
  • Reducing the number of work visas available for lower-skilled, lower-paid roles

The government hopes that these changes will help to create more jobs for New Zealanders and improve the wages and conditions for those who are already working in these roles.

The new policies have been welcomed by some employers, who say that they will help them to find the right people for the job. However, some employers have expressed concerns about the impact of the changes on their businesses.

The government has said that it will monitor the impact of the new policies and make further changes if necessary.