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Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has welcomed new figures showing New Zealand overstayer numbers are continuing to fall. 

“A new report estimates 13,151 overstayers are living in New Zealand. This is the lowest number this century, down 893 (6.3%) from last year, and 33 per cent lower than the 2005 estimate of nearly 20,000,” Mr Woodhouse says.

The estimated rate of overstaying (the number of overstayers compared with the number of temporary arrivals) is now very small by international standards at around 5 in 10,000 (0.05%).

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has announced a new business visa policy to encourage migrants to set up high-quality businesses in New Zealand to help create local jobs and support economic growth.

“New Zealand needs to attract talented, enterprising, well-connected business people to invest and grow businesses in New Zealand,” Mr Woodhouse says.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has announced a review of the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, which regulates immigration advice and created the Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) and the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal.

“The Act is now more than five years old and a review is timely to ensure the new system is working as effectively and efficiently as possible.

A bill to crack down on employers who exploit migrant workers and improve the effectiveness of our immigration system has passed its first reading in Parliament today.

“The Immigration Amendment Bill (No 2) forms part of a package of actions this Government is taking to address the exploitation of migrants. It follows changes in June to encourage victims of exploitation to come forward without fear of being penalised,” Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse says.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has announced his decision to grant New Zealand residence to nine Afghan interpreters and 26 family members.

“Local interpreters worked on the front lines with New Zealand personnel in Afghanistan. The Government recognises its duty of care to these men and their wives and children, and is committed to fulfilling that duty,” Mr Woodhouse says.

The Government has announced a package of new initiatives to encourage further growth in New Zealand's $2.6 billion international education sector.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse today introduced a new Bill to Parliament that will crack down on employers who exploit migrant workers.

Under the Immigration Amendment Bill such employers will face a jail sentence of up to seven years, a fine not exceeding $100,000, or both. Exploitative employers who hold residence visas will also be liable for deportation if the offence was committed within 10 years of gaining residence.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse is welcoming new research from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) on the impact of temporary migration on jobs and wages in New Zealand.

Using figures from MBIE, Statistics New Zealand and Inland Revenue, The Rise of Temporary Migration and its Impact on the New Zealand Labour Market is the first report of its kind that specifically considers the effect of temporary migration over the past decade on existing workers.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has travelled to Indonesia to attend a major regional conference on people smuggling and trafficking.

The Special Conference on the Irregular Movement of Persons is being held in Jakarta today and will discuss prevention, protection, early detection, and the prosecution of people smugglers in the Asia-Pacific region.

“New Zealand recognises that people smuggling and human trafficking are significant regional problems that require countries to work together to find regional solutions,” Mr Woodhouse says.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse says the latest tirade from Winston Peters shows the New Zealand First leader is clearly out of touch with reality.

Currently in China meeting with senior government officials, education leaders and Immigration New Zealand (INZ) offices, Mr Woodhouse said suggestions his trip was courtesy of China Southern Airlines were absolutely untrue.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has rubbished claims by New Zealand First that the Government is hiding thousands of parent category applications to manipulate immigration figures from China downwards.

The New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, claimed in Parliament today that Immigration New Zealand is stockpiling 5,500 parent category applications.

“Mr Peter’s claims are baseless and confused – it is simply rubbish to say that the Government is stockpiling parent category applications,” Mr Woodhouse says.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has arrived in China to meet with business and government leaders, and visit Immigration New Zealand offices.

Mr Woodhouse’s trip coincides with the latest release of figures showing that more than 220,000 Chinese visitors came to New Zealand in the six months ending 30 June 2013- more than any country apart from Australia.

“China is a country that continues to grow in terms of its importance to New Zealand’s tourism and international education sectors,” Mr Woodhouse says.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has announced decisions on the size and regional balance for the upcoming three-year Refugee Quota Programme that begins today.

“I’m pleased to confirm that New Zealand will continue to resettle 750 Quota refugees each year, over the next three years,” says Mr Woodhouse.

“This retains the longstanding commitment of successive New Zealand governments to meet the needs of some of the world’s most vulnerable people, in what are tight economic times.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has announced measures to combat the exploitation of migrant workers, and make it clear that unlawful and exploitative behaviour will not be tolerated in New Zealand.

“By breaking the law, unscrupulous employers not only harm their staff but they also gain an unfair advantage over their law-abiding competitors.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has acknowledged World Refugee Day, held every year on 20 June. This year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) theme is ‘1 family torn apart by conflict is too many’.

“World Refugee Day provides an opportunity to come together to commemorate the journey of all refugees around the world, and to celebrate the contribution that refugee communities have made to our country,” says Mr Woodhouse.

The Immigration Amendment Bill passed its third reading today, meaning New Zealand will now have the legislation needed to effectively manage a mass arrival of asylum seekers, says Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse.

“This legislation is about ensuring our system can handle a mass arrival should one occur, and sending a clear message to potential people smuggling ventures that New Zealand is not a soft touch.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse is pouring cold water on claims that ‘upwards of 5000’ parents could be left in New Zealand by absent sponsors, as claimed in a story featured in the NZ Herald and Otago Daily Times today.

“The claim is based on a false assumption that just because nearly 3000 New Zealand resident sponsors are currently overseas, that thousands of their parents have been left behind in New Zealand,” Mr Woodhouse says.

The Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre in Auckland is to be rebuilt following a $5.5 million Government commitment of operating expenditure over the next four years towards the cost as part of Budget 2013.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse says the Mangere centre has played a crucial role in helping refugees adapt to their new life in New Zealand, but many of the ageing buildings are beyond repair and need to be replaced.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse today welcomed 30 Afghan interpreters and their families to New Zealand, greeting the group of 94 off the plane at Whenuapai air base following their flight from Afghanistan.

“These men played a vital role in the operation of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) and supporting the New Zealand Police in Bamyan, and we are grateful for their service.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has announced that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is to receive $7 million over the next four years to help boost tourist numbers to New Zealand by improving visitor facilitation.

Mr Woodhouse says $5 million will be spent on ensuring that visa application information is available in languages other than English through the new Immigration Global Management System (IGMS), in order to support key foreign markets. In the first instance this capability will be built for the Chinese market.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse today welcomed top immigration officials from the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and Australia who are meeting in Queenstown for the annual Five Countries Conference (FCC).

“This is the first time New Zealand has been Chair of the Five Countries Conference, which is a great honour,” Mr Woodhouse says.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse says the Immigration Amendment Bill, that passed second reading tonight, is part of a package to disrupt, deter and manage a potential mass arrival of asylum seekers to New Zealand.

“The Government has been saying for a long time now that it is a matter of when – not if – a mass arrival to New Zealand occurs,” says Mr Woodhouse.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse is rejecting criticism that New Zealand isn’t pulling its weight in resettling international refugees.

His comments follow claims by Amnesty International that New Zealand’s contribution to resettling refugees is “tiny” and that New Zealand is part of the problem, not solution, in dealing with people smuggling and mass arrivals.

“New Zealand is rightly proud of its contribution over the years to providing solutions to the world’s refugee problem,” Mr Woodhouse says.

New Zealand’s commitment to preventing people smuggling and human trafficking will be reinforced this week at a major conference of Ministers from the Asia-Pacific region.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse leaves today for Indonesia to attend the fifth Bali Process Ministerial Conference, bringing together 43 countries to find practical measures to prevent and deter the irregular movement of people.