Work Visa, Parent Visa and Family Reunification Issues Report

12 April 2019 03:09 PM

Migrant Action Trust hosted a Community Hui on 9 March 2019 to enable community members to prepare for submission on Government’s proposed changes to employer-assisted work visas. The hui was attended by around 50 community members from different ethnic groups.
Licensed immigration advisers Hyra Evangelista and Maricel Weischede presented overview of the proposed changes, insights and recommendations on key points on the submission process.
One of the resource persons, Mandeep Bela from Indian Workers Association (IWA) and Union Network of Migrants (Unemig), urged migrants to include in submission the call for open work visa for those already in NZ. Bela stressed it is important to attach visa to their skill or region rather than to one particular employer and employer's location of work. If not, even with the supposed lifting of wages, employers who intend to exploit the vulnerability of migrant labour will always find a way to pay at much lower rate as long as the visa is tied to employer.