IMMIGRATION

New Zealand Government operates an immigration policy to achieve social and economic goals through the temporary and permanent movement of people and skills. The Government is focusing more on migrants who can demonstrate they will quickly adapt and add economic value to New Zealand, although there is also a focus on allowing entry to migrants who will enhance the creative industries that occur in New Zealand.

The questions that arise, when immigrating to New Zealand are aplenty, one needs a comprehensive guide that can and will put things into perspective. When it comes to making an immigration application to the New Zealand, it is all about doing it right the first time as you only get one shot at it, you can do it the hard way or you can do it the right way. That is when Sanctum comes into picture. Sanctum provides invaluable expertise to those who do not want to risk their initial immigration application.

History of Immigration in New Zealand:

European colonialism sent out a number of waves of migrants to New Zealand that left a deep legacy on the social and political structures of the Maori. From the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, a huge outflow of migrants from Europe to many parts of the world occurred. Early visitors to New Zealand included whalers, sealers, missionaries, mariners and merchants, attracted to natural resources in abundance.

The organized and structured flow of migrants from Great Britain began at the start of the 18^th century and by 1860 more than 100,000 British and Irish settlers lived throughout New Zealand. Other settlers came from Germany, Scandinavia, and other parts of Europe as well as from China and India, but British and Irish settlers made up the vast majority, and did so for the next 150 years. Between 1881 and the 1920s, the New Zealand Parliament passed legislation that intended to limit Asiatic migration to New Zealand, and prevented Asians from naturalising. In particular, the New Zealand government levied a poll tax on Chinese immigrants up until the 1930s, when Japan began invading China. New Zealand finally abolished the poll tax in 1944.

A record number of migrants arrived in the 1970s. New Zealand received the highest inflow of immigrants during 1973-1974. While these numbers represent many ethnicities, New Zealand had an underlying preference for migrants from "traditional sources", namely Britain, Europe and Northern America.

New Zealand adopted a radical direction of economic practice, when Parliament passed a new Immigration Act into law in 1987. This ended the preference for migrants from Britain, Europe or Northern America based on their race, and instead classifies migrants on their skills, personal qualities, and potential contribution to New Zealand economy and society. The introduction of the points-based system came under the National government, which pursued this policy-change even more than the previous Labour Party administration. This system resembled that of Canada, and came into effect in 1991. Effectively the New Zealand Immigration Service ranks the qualities sought in the migrants and gives them a priority using a points-based scale. As of 2009 this framework continues to control immigration; however from 2010 the new Immigration Act will replace all protocols and procedures.

The New Zealand Immigration Service currently has 7 main categories under which prospective migrants can apply for immigration to New Zealand.

Given below are the various categories:

• Skilled Migrant Category
• Investor Category
• Entrepreneur Category
• Work to Residence Policy
• Employees of Businesses relocating to New Zealand
• Family/Family Quota Category
• Humanitarian/Refugee Category

The first and the most important aspect of immigrating to New Zealand are to decide on the category you will apply. Most people apply under the Skilled Migrant Category, which uses a points system. This is probably the biggest step before starting the process of Immigration to New Zealand. Once you know which category you want to apply, you start moving through the rest of the process.