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Hamilton: India has
emerged as the largest source country for New Zealand with a 12
percent increase in approval of applications under the skilled
migrant category for the 2010-11 financial year.
Among the top source countries to New Zealand, Britain decreased
by 17 percent, China decreased by 11 percent, South Africa
decreased by 37 percent and the Philippines decreased by 25
percent, according to the Migration Trends Statistics (MTS) report
for July 2010 to May 2011.
India's increase was due to former Indian students who transited
to temporary work and then on to permanent residence, it said.
"The drop in skilled migration has seen a decrease in residence
approvals from all of the main source countries, with the
exception of India which increased by 12 percent," the MTS report
stated.
The report focused on three key areas - the New Zealand residence
programme, permanent skilled migration and temporary entry.
With regard to student visas to New Zealand, as many as 69,448
people were approved in July 2010-May 2011 - a three percent
increase from the 67,453 in the previous financial year. From July
2010-May 2011, the largest source countries of students were China
(23 percent), India (14 percent) and South Korea (12 percent).
Indian-origin MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi said as New Zealand was a
peaceful country, it has emerged as an ideal destination for
study. Its spectacular scenery and rich and diverse culture were
the other factors that made it a favourite among Indians.
Richard Howard, honorary member and past chairman of the New
Zealand Association for Migration and Investment, said: "These
statistics confirm the clear trend that New Zealand is seen as an
increasingly attractive study and migrant destination for Indian
students."
(Amandeep Kaur
can be contacted at amisehmi@gmail.com)
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