17/06/2024
It's with some interest that I have been watching how the rhetoric has changed almost overnight on a lot of the pages and groups.
For the last 12 months myself, and many industry professionals, have been quite vocal against people telling potential migrants to come on over, you'll find a job easy on a visitor visa. Anybody that has chatted to me about immigrating or follows my page and posts knows I'm strongly against blindly coming to NZ on a visitor visa to search for work. Sadly, there are still a few places where this is happening far too often.
I applaud people trying to help but they often need to remember that they only have their own experiences to rely on, and often that experience was post Covid. However, what they often don't take into account is the likes of immigration advisers and recruiters do this day in and day out for a living and we are immersed in this industry. Like building companies know months in advance of a looming downturn, often so do similarly qualified professionals in the immigration space. I am amazed on a daily basis how often people choose to ignore both their advice and warnings.
What I'm starting to see now though, is a movement from one extreme to the other. Instead of telling everyone to come on over it will be easy, groups are now just telling people not to bother, there is no chance for them in NZ.
Yes, I am still vocal on the Facebook groups and regularly post my feelings on coming to NZ on a visitor visa to job hunt during the current climate. However, I certainly am not trying to dissuade people from immigrating to NZ when there is a clear pathway for them.
The reality is that there is still a tremendous opportunity for people who want to immigrate to NZ, even during the current economic climate. In fact, if I compare the number of people we are currently assisting with job offers, we are probably 15% up on numbers from this time last year. However, it's now very different to recent years and quite similar to when I immigrated in 2016. You need to prove that you qualified, skilled and experienced to fill RECOGNISED job shortages.
I am very thankful that the contributors across social media have become more realistic about prospects and for the most part have stopped telling people to just come on over. However, I am also somewhat disappointed that it has now swung to the other extreme and everybody is being told not to bother as there is no hope for them here. That is just not fair on them, nor is it necessarily true.
I still take the same stance I did when I first started my journey as an immigration adviser. Get all the background information first before making a determination about what a person's opportunities are. I ask that you do the same, yes, be realistic, but telling somebody they have no chance when you don't have all the facts can be just as damaging as telling people to blindly head over.
So yes, I find it quite ironic to be writing a piece like this, but I ask each person who contributes to Facebook groups to remember the reasons why you chose to leave your home country and be mindful of that when commenting on people's futures.
To those still wanting to immigrate to NZ, there is still tremendous opportunity and there is no time like the present! My advice is still the same as it has always been though, make sure you have the skills and experience to fill a genuine skill shortage and have a definitive pathway to residence. Now is not the time to try winging it on your own, make sure you meet with relevant immigration professionals and be sure of your pathway and future in NZ.
