Migrant worker flood overwhelmed immigration checks

Migrant workers flooded into New Zealand in the post-covid workforce crisis. (Image: Getty)

Tue, 27 Feb 2024

The migrant worker floodgates were opened post-covid with too much haste and too little consideration of the potential for unscrupulous employers and immigration agents to exploit foreign workers coming to New Zealand.That is the primary finding of a review of the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme undertaken for the Public Service Commission.Independent reviewer Jenn Bestwick acknowledged that Immigration NZ (INZ) was trying to respond to extreme pressure from NZ employers seeking workers in the very tight labour conditions experience...

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