A total of 20,442 people reached New Zealand on work visas in March this year, based on the statistics provided by the country’s Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
Last month’s figures marked a new record and even surpassed March 2019 figures, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, in which month the number of overseas workers stood at 19,170, VisaGuide.World reports.
MBIE’s figures revealed that the number of arrivals on work visas was significantly affected during the period that COVID-related restrictions were kept in place, decreasing from 12,399 recorded in March 2020 to just 237 recorded in April 2020.
At the same time, they remained at only a few hundred a month from April 2020 until March 2022 and then started to increase again. They continued to increase and passed 10,000 a month for the first time post-Coronavirus restrictions, in September last year, according to a report provided by Interest.
Still the most notable increase was registered last month, in which month, for the first time the number of arrivals surpassed the figures recorded before the pandemic. In addition, it was also the most significant increase in number of arrivals on work visas in March this year, since MBIE started collecting data in this regard, in 2012.
The increase in the number of overseas workers also revealed that the total number of people in New Zealand on work visas is increasing again, after declining from a peak of 222,036 in March 2020, to a recent low registered in September last year, during which month 108,750 overseas workers came to New Zealand.
The country has continuosely been attempting to ease the entry rules and bring to the country a larger number of workers from other countries in order to deal with the labour shortages noted in several industries.
Recently, authorities in New Zeland announced that an additional 32 healthcare roles will be part of the immigration fast-track scheme. The announcement was made through a statement provided by the Immigration Minister Michael Wood as well as Health Minister Ayesha Verrall.
“The market rate for skippers is already above the median wage. Operators will need to continue to pay migrant worker skippers the market rate, and migrant worker deckhands will need to be paid at least the median wage to utilize this sector agreement,” the Minister pointed out.
The New Zealand government has announced that it will grant a 12-month Open Work visa to offshore students affected by the situation caused by spread of the Coronavirus and its new variants.
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