Immigration Policies Need Scrutiny

BusinessNZ has welcomed ACT’s immigration policy released today.

BusinessNZ Advocacy Director Catherine Beard says an appropriate level of immigration is critical for NZ’s economy and prosperity, and the business sector will be closely scrutinising the immigration policies of all parties for the 2023 General Election.

"Businesses are struggling with the restrictive system for work visas and the complicated system for bringing in skilled migrants, which is making it hard for firms to access the skills they need.

"Among the business community there is confusion about NZ’s policy making on immigration which does not seem to recognise the importance of migration to this country.

"Business requires open, simple, permissive immigration settings to meet the challenge of severe skill shortages and reduce economic and social harm."

Catherine Beard said the policy directions outlined by ACT, including better cost-benefit analysis of immigration policy and the use of demand-based pricing for screening highly skilled migrants were worth considering.

"We will be interested to see the immigration policies of all parties in the run-up to the next election, as a better approach is required in this important policy area."

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