Five Facts from Immigration Statistics
At Idesi Legal we found the following statistics from Immigration New Zealand very interesting.
Sharp decline in total arrivals to New Zealand
Between February, March and April. In January and February 2020, the total number of arrivals were 464,199 and 387,890 respectively. The spread of Covid-19 and the closure of borders led to arrivals to New Zealand falling to a fraction the numbers arriving in January and February.
|
March 2020 |
178,361 |
|
April 2020 |
1,881 |
|
May 2020 |
1,533 |
(Source: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/documents/statistics/statistics-arrivals-by-month )
We expect these figures to pick up over the next few months with the opening of borders and the normalisation of international travel. In the meantime if you or a family member need to apply for an exemption to travel to New Zealand, please contact Idesi Legal for assistance.
Residence Visas by nationality – top Three
Immigration New Zealand releases figures for the nationality of Residence Visas decided. Between the financial years of 2009/10 and 2019/20 the top three nationalities were.
|
Nationality |
Number |
|
India |
49,878 |
|
China |
48,456 |
|
Great Britain |
35,315 |
Source: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/documents/statistics/statistics-residents-decisions-financial-year
Residence Visas by nationality – bottom Three (actually Twelve)
Conversely for Residence Visas decided between the financial years of 2009/10 and 2019/20 the bottom twelve nationalities were:
|
Nationality |
Number |
|
Benin |
1 |
|
Bermuda |
1 |
|
East Timor |
1 |
|
Federated States of Micronesia |
1 |
|
Gibraltar |
1 |
|
Grenada |
1 |
|
Guinea |
1 |
|
Guinea-Bissau |
1 |
|
Mali |
1 |
|
Qatar |
1 |
|
Turkmenistan |
1 |
|
Turks and Caicos Islands |
1 |
Source: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/documents/statistics/statistics-residents-decisions-financial-year
If anyone from any of these nations is looking to apply for Residence – Idesi Legal is ready to assist you.
Refugee and Protection Figures
|
Year |
Protection Claims |
Protection Approvals |
|
2017/18 |
438 |
132 |
|
2018/19 |
510 |
153 |
|
2019/20 |
441 |
82 |
The difference between the Protection Approvals in 2019/20 and previous years is possibly due to delays experienced by the Refugee Status Unit (‘RSU’) in mid-to-late 2019.
It is highly recommended that people obtain legal assistance for these claims in order to give their claim the best chance of success possible. Legal assistance might be covered by the New Zealand government, with either only part of the legal fees having to be repaid by the claimant, or potentially no repayment required. An IPT appeal for the protection claim may also be covered by the government.
If you feel that you qualify for protection as a refugee, please contact Idesi Legal for a consultation.
Source: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/documents/statistics/statistics-refugee-and-protection.pdf
Which regions are Skilled Migrant Category applicants from?
One of the stated purposes of Skilled Migrant Category is to encourage applications from outside the Auckland region. This includes giving 30 bonus points for applicants outside the Auckland region. Interestingly in the financial year 2019/20 the largest number of successful applications still came from the Auckland region.
|
Region |
Number approved |
|
Auckland |
985 |
|
(unknown) |
671 |
|
Canterbury |
414 |
|
Wellington |
537 |
|
Waikato |
389 |
|
Bay of Plenty |
200 |
|
Otago |
158 |
|
Northland |
97 |
|
Hawkes Bay |
115 |
|
Taranaki |
53 |
|
Manawatu |
89 |
|
Southland |
90 |
|
Nelson |
50 |
|
Marlborough |
20 |
|
West Coast |
25 |
|
Wanganui |
22 |
|
Central Plateau |
9 |
|
East Coast |
20 |
|
Coromandel |
16 |
|
Waiarapa |
8 |
|
Fiordland |
0 |
|
Stewart Island |
0 |
It will be interesting to see the figures for the 2020/21 financial year with the impact of Covid-19 and the subsequent suspension of the Expressions of Interest for the Skilled Migrant Category program.
With this in mind Idesi Legal is always willing to discuss an application for Skilled Migrant Category whichever region you are in. Please contact Idesi legal for a consultation.
