‘United Voice’, a group representing more than 160 organisations and nearly all ethnicities living in New Zealand has welcomed the recent immigration policy announcement by Minister of Immigration Kris Faafoi where a one-off Residence Visa will be offered to some 165,000 migrant workers and their families.
United Voice said in a media release, “We would like to thank the current government for listening to our concerns and responding with today’s announced policy. At the same time, the support from various political party leaders including those from opposition is duly acknowledged here for being vocal in representing the interests of migrants as well as the country.”
The one-off resident visa for up to 165,000 migrants provides certainty for New Zealand businesses and paves the way for a residence pathway visa for over 5,000 health and aged care workers, about 9,000 primary industry workers, and more than 800 teachers; offers a streamlined application process for health, police and security, with the majority of applications to be granted within a year of the category opening
The United Voice group’s efforts were initiated with a meeting with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and other ministers at the Takanini Sikh Temple in the presence of community leaders Daljit Singh, Prithipal Singh Basra and Jeet Suchdev, the media release said.
These efforts were further aligned with the parallel representation of more than 160 organisations collectively calling themselves United Voice. A seven-member core team comprising Daljit Singh, Ghouse Majeed, Gurdeep Talwar, Jaspreet Singh Kandhari, Jeet Suchdev, Navtej Randhawa and Rajeev Bajwa was formed to draft a memorandum with inputs from all the organisations.
“We made a strong case for a clear streamlined visa process for low-skilled and skilled onshore and offshore migrants who didn’t have clear pathway to residency. We are pleased with the announcement today and want to thank each and every organisation who attended our meetings and contributed by sharing their concerns,” Jeet Suchdev said.
The United Voice team will continue to advocate the concerns of the community for a brighter future, Mr Suchdev added. “Today’s news is a victory for all of the participating organisations.”
United Voice hopes to hear “something positive for rest of the categories under consideration which the Immigration Minister has already assured in his statement.”
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