1. Immigration Policy, Trends and Issues

2. Many people want to immigrate to New Zealand and live here permanently. It is not possible for everyone who wants to come to live in New Zealand to do so. The New Zealand Government has an Immigration Residence Policy which determines the number of new migrants who will be approved for residence in any given year. The residence criteria in this policy have been divided into three streams or categories: 1. Skilled/Business stream 2. Family Sponsored stream 3. International/Humanitarian stream

3. Skilled/Business stream  Applicants are awarded points for their characteristics, with anyone who reaches a minimum total number of points being granted residence.  Applicants receive most points if they are highly qualified, under 35 years of age, have a job offer in New Zealand relevant to their qualifications and several years of relevant work experience, or if they bring with them significant settlement funds. More than 30,000 immigrants were accepted for residence in New Zealand in this category in 2007/2008. This was 60 per cent of the total.

4. Family Sponsored stream  People who apply for residence in this category are family members of previous immigrants. More than 16,000 immigrants were accepted for residence in New Zealand in this category in 2007/2008. This was 32 per cent of the total.

5. International/Humanitarian stream More than 4,000 immigrants were accepted for residence in New Zealand in this category in 2007/2008. This was 8 per cent of the total.  This category is for refugees, as well as people who come from countries which New Zealand has special agreements with (e.g. Samoa) and humanitarian (e.g. domestic violence policy) residence applications.

6. Country of OriginNumber of Migrants United Kingdom5,210 China4,480 South Africa3,980 India3,597 Fiji2,282 Samoa2,228 Philippines1,628 Tonga1,172 Iraq1,061 Sri Lanka 864 Other12,467 Total38,969 Immigrants to New Zealand 1997/1998

7. Country of OriginNumber of Migrants United Kingdom10,496 China 6,713 Philippines 4,582 South Africa 4,344 India 3,729 Fiji 3,366 Samoa 2,480 U.S.A. 1,429 Tonga 1,173 South Korea 1,074 Other11,660 Total51,046 Immigrants to New Zealand 2007/2008

8. The main factor influencing New Zealand’s immigration policy is whether or not migrants will be successful and bring benefits to our economy and way of life in New Zealand. People may be critical of immigration for these reasons: 1. Migrants may struggle to adjust to the New Zealand way of life and fail to “fit in”. 2. Migrants may not know of, or respect, our society’s rules and laws. This can place pressure on our social system (e.g. Police and the Judiciary). 3. Collectively owned assets (e.g. parks and reserves and public transport) are shared amongst more people.