“Marie Hasler’s release of National’s immigration policy, confirms that she has been so sound asleep on the job for the past few months, it’s no wonder she’s number 32 on their list,” Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel said today.

“National is promising more skilled migrants to fill New Zealand’s skill shortages. Marie Hasler must have been asleep when we introduced government policies that have driven huge skilled/business migration to New Zealand – making up 66% of the 2001/02 immigration programme.

“National says it will issue 6-month temporary work permits to sponsor partners of young New Zealanders coming home. Hasler’s napping on the job again – why else would she make it harder for returning Kiwis to bring their partners home?

“Under existing policy, partners of returning expats can access two-year open work permits provided the relationships are genuine.

“We’ve brought in the work to residence policies, including the Talent Visa, and Occupational Priority Lists, work permits for spouses of work permit and long term business visa holders, and launched two regional immigration initiatives. At the same time we have responded to our international obligations by reducing the massive backlog in new refugee status claims left behind by Marie Hasler’s government. We reduced that backlog from over 3000 then, to 570 today.

“Marie Hasler must have slept through the past 2 ½ years because she hasn’t noticed we’ve fixed the problems left by her government. We’ve done more in immigration in 2 ½ years than her government achieved in nine years of office. They created more problems, than they solved!” Lianne Dalziel said.

“And she was obviously dozing when her own leader Bill English praised this government’s immigration policy:

‘I would give the government credit particularly in the immigration area. I think they bought (sic) some flexibility and improved approach to immigration. And that brings in people with ideas and so on’- Bill English, Feb 2002.”