New Zealand’s Push for a More Secure Immigration Future

The Government of New Zealand recently announced that they are making efforts to enhance the fiscal sustainability and integrity of the immigration system followed by the successful first reading of the Immigration (Fiscal Sustainability and System Integrity) Amendment Bill.

To which Erica Stanford, Immigration Minister, added that the immigration system needs to be smarter, more responsive, adaptable as well as sustainable in order to keep up with the changing geopolitical context. She also added that the new changes will aid in responding to risks accordingly.

The upcoming changes will introduce vital protection for the necessary public and put into effect legislative recommendations made by two independent reviews of the immigration system conducted by King’s Counsel.

What are the new changes?

• To institute the necessary protection into the system for vulnerable people, such as refugees and protection claimants, as suggested in 2022, the Victoria Casey review.

• To implement the requirement for judicial warrant for any ‘out-of-hours’ compliance activities, as recommended in 2023, the Micheal Heron review.

• Tightening certain settings to limit migrant exploitation and the option for necessary prosecution and reinforce tougher consequences for residence class visa holders committing criminal offences.

• Ensuring the system is adaptable enough to respond to unusual events, such as natural disasters.

Other changes include the potential to expand the immigration levy payer base and to introduce a new immigration levy in the future, designed to distribute the costs of immigration more fairly. However, implementing these changes are not planned for the year 2025.Stanford lastly states that these practical and well-timed reforms will strengthen the immigration system for the future, securing a more steady approach in maintaining its integrity and respecting people’s rights.