After Shane Jones “butter chicken tsunami” comments, the ACT party seems to have joined the immigration debate with a proposed shakeup of immigration policy that includes a $6 daily surcharge and a more stringent English requirements for migrant workers.
The party’s initial election-year immigration policy was released, in part on Sunday by David Seymour due to concern about the immigration debate becoming focused on “attacking people who look different”.
ACT’s shakeup of immigration policy, with a six-point plan includes deporting serious offenders no matter how long they have been in the country and levying a daily surcharge on temporary work visas.
He said a $6 per day infrastructure levy for temporary work visa holders, on top of the other visa charges, would help “rebalance”.
The policy also included to establish an overstayer enforcement unit, with Seymour saying it was too easy to stay in the country. According to Immigration NZ estimates, about 21,000 people were overstaying.
Seymour said ACT agreed with suspicions of people when they say something “doesn’t quite feel right with immigration”.
Seymour blamed successive governments for letting a skilled-migration system become a “general-purpose labour tap” and failing to enforce the rules they set.
His party’s policy would restore the “basic bargain” that New Zealand was built on as the “rate of settlement has overwhelmed the ability to provide infrastructure.”
ACT’s proposed six-point immigration policy includes:
- Deporting serious offenders, “no matter how long they’ve been here”
- Expire categories under Accredited Employer Work visas annually
- Five-year welfare stand-down for all residence class visa holders
- A $6 per day infrastructure surcharge on temporary work visas, on top of existing charges
- Extend basic English language requirements to all work visa types
- Establish a dedicated overstayer enforcement unit within Immigration New Zealand
Seymour also raised concerns about ability for migrant workers to fit in to the New Zealand culture. The ACT Party was also campaigning to have a five-year welfare stand down for new immigrants, and deportation for any non-citizen that had committed an offence that could lead to a jail sentence of 10 or more years.
ACT leader says the proposed immigration policy will make the system work better for New Zealand, and rebuild confidence in immigration by restoring fairness and accountability.
