Source: New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment
Immigration advisers support a new residence pathway for migrants but urge the government not to repeat its mistake of setting the bar too high on English language requirements.
“The Business Investor Visa announced today is a positive step, but it’s concerning that the requirements around English language have yet to be defined,” says the Chair of the New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment, Simon Laurent.
“Immigration advisers certainly don’t want to see a repeat of the mess around the Skilled Migrant Visa, which is bordering on racism as it discriminates against people from non-English language speaking countries.
“It’s important that migrants can communicate in English, but the bar is set too high for the Skilled Migrant Visa. This harsh requirement must not be repeated in the new Business Investor Visa.
“New Zealand has a long and shameful history of immigration policies that have discriminated against people from non-Anglocentric countries. One of the principal tools for enforcing this
racial and cultural bias was — and continues to be — how well they spoke English.
“The legacy of discrimination remains embedded in our current immigration system. And nowhere is this more evident than in the language requirements for permanent residence under the Skilled Migrant Category. The settings today are, irrefutably, too high.
“The current International English Language Testing System (IELTS) requirement for Skilled Migrant Residence is higher than that needed for international students to enter undergraduate study at University of Auckland.
“A Skilled Migrant applicant from a non-Anglocentric country must have a current test score at or above 6.5, whereas the University of Auckland requires students from countries that are not from a predominantly English-speaking country to provide a current test score at or above 6.0 for entry into a Bachelor of Arts degree programme.
“The requirement also surpasses the language standards required for enrolment in trades-based qualifications approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, which are typically set at a minimum of IELTS 5.0.
“If we are serious about equity and about selecting migrants based on their potential to contribute, rather than their country of origin, then our language requirements must reflect that, ” Laurent says.
The Association wants the Government to change these settings, ending discrimination against applicants from non-English speaking backgrounds who might otherwise make a material contribution to New Zealand.
“It’s time to ensure our immigration rules reflect fairness, not old colonial prejudices.
“Similarly, it is difficult to justify setting an English threshold for applicants under the new Migrant Investor Visa scheme that is too high, when at the same time we wish to encourage them to make a significant investment of their wealth and their business skills to our economy.
“A final point is that while the government has unveiled a pathway for experienced businesspeople, we await keenly the other half of the policy – that for start-up entrepreneurs. Both pathways are important to New Zealand, which has large numbers of mature business owners who want to retire and are looking to sell their business, plus opportunities for talented migrants to bring their new ideas to the New Zealand market,” Laurent says.
Simon Laurent is Chair of the New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment, the longest-standing organisation for immigration professionals.
