Interim General Skills Category closed
12 November 2003 Media Statement
Interim General Skills Category closed
The Interim General Skills Category
(GSC) was closed today (12 November 2003) at noon (NZ time)
as the first step towards implementing the new Skilled
Migrant Category, Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel
announced today.
The new Skilled Migrant Category shifts the focus of skilled migration policy from the passive acceptance of residence applications to the active recruitment of the skills that New Zealand needs. The new category takes effect next month.
“Applications for residence under the Interim GSC have far exceeded forecast numbers and therefore we will be able to continue processing existing applications until the first set of applications is sought under the new category.
“The new category is based on allocating points for a range of factors including qualifications, but for the first time will include bonus points for employment in identified areas of growth or absolute skill shortage, or within identified clusters.
“Under the new Skilled Migrant Category, people will be able to register expressions of interest from mid-December. Their expressions will be pooled and ranked according to points, with those achieving the highest points being invited to apply for residence. This will ensure that industries or regions experiencing skill shortages and growth will be able to have their needs met first.
“This is a win-win for skilled migrants and for New Zealand. For too long the General Skills Category allowed too many skilled migrants people to come here, regardless of whether their skills were needed here. The new category signals the end of the ‘professional-driving-taxi’ legacy of the General Skills Category.
“The new Skilled Migrant Category enhances the points-based system by focussing on work and settlement outcomes”, Lianne Dalziel said.
“People who have been gathering the relevant documents for residence applications should continue to do so as next month, they will be able to lodge their expressions of interest.”
Information about how to apply under the new Skilled Migrant Category is available from the New Zealand Immigration Service today.
More information about the new Skilled Immigration Category is available at www.immigration.govt.nz
INTERIM GENERAL SKILLS CATEGORY
CLOSURE
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Wednesday 12 November
2003
What is the IGSC?
On 1 July 2003 I announced that
a new Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) would be introduced
later this year. I also announced that, from 2 July 2003
until the introduction of the new SMC, the General Skills
Category would be replaced by an Interim General Skills
Category (IGSC). The IGSC meant that the NZIS would only
accept general skills applications from principal applicants
with a job offer relevant to their qualifications or work
experience. This was to ensure that New Zealand does not
miss out on the opportunity to bring in qualified and
experienced migrants who had a skilled job to come
to.
Why did you close the IGSC before the new SMC is
introduced?
I closed the IGSC today because applications
have exceeded expectations. I review the need to raise the
IGSC points every month and this month I decided that,
rather than raising the points and since the IGSC would
close shortly anyway, we might as well close it now and
focus on getting the SMC up and running next month.
Why
was no advance notice given of the closure of the
IGSC?
Typically, when any notice is given of a change to
any immigration policy rules, the NZIS experiences surges of
applications from potential migrants wanting to get
applications assessed under the old rules. This puts
additional pressure on the immigration programme numbers and
substantially delays the impact of policy changes.
Why
didn’t you just raise the points like you usually do?
I
could have increased the passmark to 32 points, however we
already have sufficient applications on hand for this year.
Closing the IGSC now and reopening with the new policy next
month is by far the fairest and simplest thing to do from
everyone’s perspective.
What happens to applications
already in the mail when the IGSC closed?
For
applications to be accepted under the Interim General Skills
Category they must have been received by the NZIS before 12
noon NZ time on 12 November 2003. Applications and fees
received after this time will be returned to the applicant
or agent with information about the new Skilled Migrant
Category.
Can applicants use the medical and x-ray
certificates they prepared for the IGSC application, if they
are invited to apply under the SMC?
If you are
successful in getting an invitation to apply in the early
months of the Skilled Migration Category, the NZIS will take
into account the expiry dates of medical and x-ray
certificates for those who may be affected by this
closure.
My GSC application was lapsed after the July 2003
changes, and I received notification of the lapsing in
September. That letter said I had three months to lodge a
new application using previously submitted certificates, can
I still lodge a new application?
No, not under the IGSC
as this category has been closed. However the certificates
can be used for the first month of the SMC.
How many
applications has NZIS got on hand?
The NZIS has about
9000 IGSC applications on hand.
If all of the on hand
applications are approved, won’t they fill the
Skilled/Business stream allocation until well into the
2004/05 year?
Not necessarily. Being on hand doesn’t
mean that every application will be approved. And only
those with a genuine relevant job offer can be approved
under the IGSC arrangements that I introduced in July. In
July I also introduced the ability to prioritise approvals,
so approvals are being managed within the allocations
established in the New Zealand Immigration Programme.
That’s 27,000 people in the Skilled/Business stream for the
NZ Immigration Programme for 2003/04.
What information is
available about the SMC?
NZIS has produced an information
pamphlet on the new Skilled Migrant Category. It is
available on the NZIS website at www.immigration.govt.nz or
on request from NZIS. The pamphlet contains information
about the criteria you must meet before you can submit an
Expression of Interest, the new points framework and an
overview of the new application process.
Are any of the
other Skilled/Business Categories affected by the closure of
IGSC?
No. The following Skilled/Business Stream
categories are not affected:
o Talent Accredited
Employers Residence Policy
o Talent Arts, Culture and
Sports Residence Policy
o Priority Occupations List
Residence Policy
o Business Investor Policy
o
Entrepreneur Policy
o Employees of Relocating Business
Policy
IS NZIS Accepting applications under the SMC
now?
No. The SMC will open in mid-December. People
interested in the new policy will be able to complete and
submit an Expression of Interest from that time.
Will it
cost more to apply for residence under the new SMC?
Fees
will be announced closer to the opening of the SMC.
Will
the same English language requirements apply under the
SMC?
Yes and the details of requirements are in the
information pamphlet on SMC.
When will the Business
Migrant categories review be completed?
The Investor
Category component within of the Skilled/Business stream has
also been the subject of a review. Work is still
underway.