The number of people entering New Zealand on work or student visas is slowly picking up although the numbers are still well below pre-pandemic levels.
The latest visa figures from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) show the number of people arriving in the country on student visas has risen for six consecutive months, from a negligible 93 in January this year to 4152 in July.
July has traditionally been a very strong month for overseas students coming to NZ, with 20,121 arriving in July 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, but those numbers dropped to just 48 in July 2020 and 246 in July 2021.
Over the same period the total number of overseas students who were in NZ on student visas declined from 86,103 in July 2019 to 32,838 in July this year, a reduction of 53,265 (-62%).
However last month saw the number of student visa holders at the end of each month increase for the first time since February 2020.
That suggests the slump in overseas students coming to NZ that started when Covid restrictions were introduced in early 2020 has now bottomed out, with numbers slowly starting to rise again (see the graph below).
Pre-pandemic, January, February and July were the big months for overseas students arrivals so it could be six months or so before we start to get an idea of the longer term trends in overseas student numbers.
A similar trend is evident in the number of people arriving on work visas.
Work visa arrivals have increased for five consecutive months, rising from just 285 in February this year to 6012 in July.
However that is still down by two thirds compared to the 17,922 who arrived on work visas pre-pandemic in July 2019 (see graph below).
According to MBIE, there were 117,723 people in NZ on work visas at the end of July this year, down 72,531 (-38%) compared to pre-pandemic July 2019.
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19 Comments
Too little. Too late.
For the property market?
Yes and the wider economy in general.
NZ just isn't that cool anymore....
The goal of being last country in the world to eschew the face nappies is an "act of kindness".
Or so the latest government propaganda informs me.
Countries like South Korea, Singapore, China all continue to use use face masks. There is plenty of solid scientific evidence masking is very effective in protecting ourselves and others from airborne viruses, not just Covid. Sadly, effective public health interventions are being vilified as part of the neo-fascist war on reason.
Currently in Oz/GC for a few weeks visiting family after a few years gap. Negligible mask wearing anywhere including airports & officials.
So whats your point?
Its a personal choice , preventation is better than cure, pretty sure you may have heard that in your travels
The podium of truth never lies.
Too many.too soon,what if working for peanuts helps the spread of monkeypox?
Well something has to, the poor media are desperate for something to hold onto. (Monkeypox)
Someone needs to work to pay for your benefits mate.
Agree with the notion, but a bit too early to say looking at the graph.
As per NZTE's website, the list of delegations that visited the US in June this year included one led by Hipkins to promote New Zealand's "world-class education".
Did he also stop by in France to teach them a thing or two about cheesemaking?
Here we go again. Stoking the immigration fueled house price rise ponzie. The only hope for young Kiwi first home buyers is to leave NZ. You cannot fight this thing. Absolutely not point thinking that you can.
Yes it is interesting. I was speaking to a mate in the UK last week, we were comparing the total collapse of our health systems, justice systems and education sectors. It is interesting to engage younger people in this conversation, the ones I work with think that returning to the old days of being able to see a Dr within 2 days at the most is unrealistic. They are right at the moment but I am worried that we remove the old standards for no reason other than doubt. Travelling to Thailand for any medical procedure is now part of my planning but it should not be.
BH decries the 30/30/30 principle in some of his musings on the Kaka and he really has a point here. Also we must, must, must re-orientate the split between bureaucracy and the front line staff. We need far less 100k administrators and for more 100k nurses. Not joking.
Totally agree with re Nurses. The Government have been consistently hostile to nurses, so I cannot see anything improving for them. History has demonstrated that National will be worse.
Anybody contemplating study for a nursing qualification - in the first instance should not as they will be undervalued and treated like dirt by everyone from patients to the government and in the second instance take the profession on in the understanding that the only way that you will ever receive decent treatment will be to leave NZ. That apart from any other considerations of house affordability.
and yet there are medical centres with a lot of doctors listed like the one we go to has six drs on their website but you only ever sight two and one is always on holiday,maybe they are ghostriders or long retired codgers paid an honorariun for use of their name.
After years of study, one of my friends qualified as a Registered Nurse a few months ago.
She is working in a hospital, and is already overworked, over tired, and wondering whether she made a career mistake. Apparently the work culture is awful. She (and several of her RN friends) are looking to move to Aussie.
whatever happened to those before her who just got on with it with MSM
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