Rt Hon Winston Peters

New Zealand First Leader

Member of Parliament for Northland
26 JUNE 2015

Seasonal Workers Visa Becomes an Immigration Backdoor

The Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader and the Member of Parliament for Northland is calling for a review of the Registered Seasonal Workers (RSE) working visa, with a growing number of visa holders obtaining residency on the basis of partnership.

“We have no doubt the registered seasonal workers visa is seen by an increasing number of holders as some backdoor to residency and citizenship,” Mr Peters said.

“Given many people holding a RSE visa are semi-skilled with poor or non-existent language skills, are these the sort of people we really want, or for that matter, need?

“Yet 38 obtained residency on the basis of partnership in 2014, with another 14 applications pending for a total of 52. Since the odds of refusal are low there’s been a definite increase in the numbers applying since just 6 did in 2009.

“The RSE visa is for a picking season so they have an incredibly short stay here, yet, somehow, they find the time to form a partnership.

“In this immigration equivalent of speed dating we question how genuine this is.

“If you want to live here and have little money or skills, the growing numbers tells us an RSE visa is the ticket so long as you get someone, anyone, to partner with.

“In the scale of the RSE visa, the numbers seem small but if this trend continues, we could have hundred in a few years’ time making a mockery of ‘planned’ immigration. The time to nip this “backdoor entry” in the bud is right now,” Mr Peters said.

ENDS

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