MIQ workers who have been ineligible for the One-off residence visa feel frustrated and anguished that despite working tirelessly during the Covid 19 they have been forgotten
The one-off residence visa, which was announced last month by the Hon Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi, has been welcomed by the 165,000 who are eligible and on their pathway to residence. However, many have been left out primarily because of the visa status they hold. One such category is that of MIQ workers. When we talk about Covid-19 and the frontline workers, there is no denying that MIQ workers have worked in the forefront and did their best in protecting New Zealand and New Zealanders.
Indian Weekender spoke to some MIQ workers who are ineligible for this new visa to know their stories. The heart touching stories speak volumes of their frustration, anguish and helplessness of being left out despite contributing to New Zealand and its people by working relentlessly in a risky place like MIQ during the pandemic.
One such story is that of an immigrant Matthew (name changed on request), who meets all the three criteria to be eligible but has been left out because he holds a partner of a worker visa. Sharing his story, he says, "I came to New Zealand in January 2017 to pursue my post-graduation study. I worked as a director at a 5-star facility back in India, which I left to pursue my future here. My family and daughter moved here after a year. My wife left her senior position at an MNC company to be here with me and for our child.
“We both had difficulties establishing our career here even after extensive experience as we did not have Kiwi experience and residency. However, we made our way to stable jobs, we have been hard-working and honest taxpayers since then. When Covid stuck here, we had thought to move back to India but, we decided to stay back. Instead, my wife decided to pursue MBA to improve her capabilities. So she took up a student visa, and I got a partnership based visa. My company offered a work visa, I did not apply and continued with a partnership work visa.”
Matthew, who has been working as a Manager in a MIQ facility for most of the Covid period, feels it is risky to work in MIQ, but the fact that he wanted to contribute and do his bit to contribute during Covid kept him going. However, this news has shattered him and his family.
He says, "It is scary to be working in a risky environment like MIQ, especially when we have a small child at home, but, I didn't take a step back even though I could have. When this one-off visa was announced, knowing that we were ineligible just because of our visa status was very frustrating as we have done everything right - contributed to the community in many ways, being an honest citizen, taxpayer, well qualified and skilled. I don't know where did we go wrong. We are left heartbroken and disappointed due to this. My wife didn’t sleep for more than a week after the announcement and kept weeping thinking about our child's future and SMC uncertainty. We were left thinking if the decision to upskill our knowledge was a big mistake we made?
Aditya (name changed on request), another MIQ worker, feels that with this announcement all his contribution and hard work given to this country during the pandemic have been forgotten just because he holds a student visa.
Aditya, who hails from Kerala says, "I came to NZ in 2016 to pursue level 5 and level 6 Hospitality Management. After finishing my study, I received a post-study work visa in March 2018. I started working full time in a hotel in Auckland CBD. Everything was going fine until March 2020, when the first case of Covid caused the first lockdown. My employer made many employees redundant, but luckily they kept me on. Since the borders were closed and the hotel was unable to run in a normal operation, they opted to become a MIQ facility."
Sharing the hardships of working in MIQ and his frustration of being excluded from the One-off resident visa, he says, “Since my visa was expiring in March 2021 and my employer wasn't able to support my application since it was a MIQ, I chose to do level 7 in Hospitality management. Today, I hold a student visa and still work for the same MIQ. Just because I held a student visa on 29 September, all my contribution and hard work, which I did for this country during the pandemic have been forgotten, how unfair is that? Government should do something for the MIQ workers and include them.”
Victoria, another immigrant, who came to NZ in 2017 as a student and became a MIQ worker in 2020 feels the policy is unfair and made her feel miserable and frustrated. The fact that she is currently holding a student visa makes her ineligible. Sharing her story she says, “Ever since I joined MIQ, I’ve been working so hard and following the strict hygiene protocols. My parents have convinced me many times to leave this job due to their concerns and worries especially during the delta virus popped up but I never did and I never will. I'm happy to contribute my efforts to this country when it is needed and try my best to protect Aotearoa.”
It was the decision to take a gap year that somehow backfired for Victoria: “I took a half year as a gap year doing full time work at my hotel from the end of 2020 till the beginning of 2021. I started a further study in the March of 2021 and will be graduating in December. However, my story changed on the 30 September, when I realised that I am excluded from a One-off residency visa. However, my friend, who didn't take a gap year, is eligible to apply because she finished her study slightly earlier than me. If I didn't take my little gap year, I would have already been on an eligible visa. I feel like I am abandoned, and no one recognises my effort."
Government’s response
These are just a few stories of those MIQ workers who have been excluded from the one-off residence visa despite doing their best for the community. When contacted, the Minister of Immigration told Indian Weekender, “Eligibility for the 2021 Resident visa is reasonably broad and could provide a pathway to residence for around 165,000 people. Some of those may well be people working in MIQ. Where people are not eligible for the one-off resident visa, there may be other options towards residence available to them. There are also other options to continue working in New Zealand, such as the extended Essential Skills visa or other work visas for those who do not meet the criteria or do not want to apply for residence. The Government has also recently made it easier for people working in lower-paid roles to be able to stay in New Zealand longer while border restrictions remain in place due to COVID-19.”
National Party’s MP and Immigration spokesperson, Erica Stanford says that it is an ill-considered policy and the decision to exclude MIQ workers is a big gap. "The 2021 Resident Visa was a hastily thought out and ill-considered policy. This is clearly shown by the number of gaps we have seen in the policy, which has resulted in migrants worthy of residence missing out. This Government is prioritising migrants who don't even have to prove they have a job over these border and MIQ workers. They go to work every day for 12-hour shifts in full PPE and put their lives at risk to keep us safe. That just reeks of policy made on the hoof,” says Erica.
Even immigration experts say that it is a big disappointment that the one-off residence visa does not cover all of those staff who have been working at the frontline during the pandemic. Immigration lawyer Arran Hunt, says, “In one of the opening lines of his press release on the new visa, the Minister talked about ‘providing a way forward for our migrant families who have been long disrupted by COVID-19’. We can't imagine anybody who would have been more disrupted than those working in MIQ, looking after the security and services for those who have either come in from offshore, where COVID-19 has been running rampant, or perhaps providing services for those on shore who were known to be infected.
“It must have been a constant source of stress for these workers and their families, always worried about if they would catch it, or spread it to their loved ones. They are now being told that despite the amazing work they have done, and continue to do, that the government gives more future value to the services of florists, fencers, meat packers and knitting machine operators.”
Giving the example of France, which granted citizenship to its frontline workers on Christmas eve 2020 and how New Zealand exclusion of them is a 'disgrace'. "On Christmas Eve 2020, France gave its frontline workers citizenship. This included health workers, cleaners, shop workers, and even garbage collectors. By September, 12,000 had gained citizenship. In New Zealand, the Minister won't even let them apply for residence while granting 165,000 other people that opportunity. Despite working in a high-risk job, something we thanked them for during lockdown last year, they aren't included in the one-off residence, and that's a disgrace, " he signs off.