Data from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment shows a big surge in the number of older migrants gaining New Zealand residency over the last two years, with particularly strong growth in the number aged 65 and over getting residence visas in the last 12 months.
The chart below shows the number of people aged 50 and over who gained NZ residence visas each year, over the 12 months to May, for the last 10 years.
They declined steadily from 6438 in the year to May 2016, as the Government reduced the ability of older persons to migrate to NZ due to concerns about their health needs and the burden they were placing on the health system.
Along with other types of migrants, their numbers bottomed out in 2020/21, largely due to pandemic travel restrictions. They then surged strongly over 2022/23, hitting 8538 in the 12 months to May 2023, then dropped back to 6285 in the 12 months to May 2024.
But there has been a big shift towards more older migrants aged 65 and over gaining residence visas in the last 12 months.
Of the 8538 aged 50-plus who gained residence in the year to May 2023, 7023 (82%) were aged 50-59, while just 621 (7%) were aged 65 and older.
However in the year to May 2024, the number of residence visas approved for people aged 65 and over jumped to 2223, which was 35% of all residence visas approved for people aged 50 and above.
A look at the monthly residence approval figures shows the number of residence visas approved for the 65 and above cohort, jumped sharply immediately after last year's general election, to more than 200 a month from November 2023 onwards, after remaining at less than 100 a month almost continuously since 2016.
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102 Comments
There are some holes in this article.
My great aunt came to NZ years ago. She had to liquidate foreign assets in order to be able to afford the large sum required to cover her healthcare costs (a condition of her visa), which meant she couldn't come until a couple of years later than she'd planned. Please tell me anyone who comes on a family visa and then applies for residency would have to have a large nest egg for healthcare costs in a similar fashion? Or does the requirement to have that egg disappear once you have residency so you can blow it all on foreign travel or something?
Nope. The Parent Visa is a permanent residency visa, and they immediately have full access to the healthcare system for free. And they get a full Govt pension in 10 years time. https://absoluteimmigration.com/nz/new-zealand-visas/parent-resident-vi…
Why do we ever have a 'parent category'.
Surely each immigrant needs to be tested based on individual merit. Any attached family should surely need to pass the same tests.
We simply can't afford to be subsidizing public service and infrastructure for relatives of immigrants.
The rule should be clear for immigrants that if they choose nz to live they would need to accept their family not living in the same country as them.
It's not hard and unlikely to affect nz ability to attract talent..in fact it would improve our attraction as our wellbeing would improve
It's an obscenity.
We live in a country where we cannot adequately provide social services for those born here, resulting in all sorts of social ills, and then we allow the import of "instant bludgers" under this system who've never contributed, nor will never contribute, a cent. One is too many on that basis, let alone thousands.
It's getting to the point where maybe the best way to fix immigration policy is to rip up the runway at Auckland Airport until we have caught up on infrastructure etc.
Also how on earth can you have six parents or whatever the limit is? Is the immigration department offering special dispensation to the offspring of the swinging community or something?
Name me one compelling, beneficial for the wider NZ society, reason for this that isn't some bleeding heart 'oh well if we don't let the parents in nobody young will want to move here'. Surely we want the immigrants who are so committed to coming here to improve their lot in life, that they'll sacrifice for the privilege?
My parents came here in the 1980s both for specialist medical jobs, leaving all of their family behind (with no expectation they'd ever be able to ship them over to live off the public dime). If they added up how much had been spent over the years on flights back home to see family it would amount to a small fortune. Surely anyone immigrating here should be on sufficient wages to be able to do the same? Especially in this era of dirt cheap air travel.
This Parent visa thing is ridiculous. These people have contributed nothing to our economy, and to make matters worse many older NZers are leaving to Aus and taking their pensions with them. Not sure how the health system works for them there but after they have sold up and taken their money with them to spend there as well, it is a lose for NZ.
Just hope the oldies coming here have heaps of money and are willing to spend it. Ahh, I doubt it though.
Just a guess, but it could be this government had a look at the level of remittances going overseas once the 'family reunification' programme was scaled back and the changes were made in 2016.
I had a look at remittances worldwide a while back and the highest value of remittance flows going in to countries (from offshore) are India, Mexico, China, Philippines, Tajikistan and Tonga (in numeric value order high to low). So, as more of our younger migrants come from these countries, the greater our remittance outflows if family reunification is not an option.
Sources: “International Migrant Stock 2019,” United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division
So, as more of our younger migrants come from these countries, the greater our remittance outflows if family reunification is not an option.
That may or may not be the case Kate, however, it doesn't change the glaringly obvious problem that one way or another the majority of immigration hasn't served those born here well for the last 25 years, likely more. Either NZ loses due to higher remittance flows or we lose due to higher health/translator/pension costs for people that never contributed a dime towards NZ.
Agree, if we must have this absurd system of allowing old crusts in to reunify families, then either the oldies or the kiddies (or a mixture of both) need to be on the hook for all costs to the taxpayer.
Calculate the expected annual cost (across everything from healthcare, to impact on infrastructure and beyond) and then have the IRD send a bill for the upcoming year, every year until the end. Don't pay, you're on the next plane out.
when they arrive they might be of 'good health order' -> but hazard a guess at the total cost of health, police, roads, services... etc etc to the tax payer between when they arrive and when they pass. Per person will be massive.
If they are older they will never contribute financially or pay taxes and will far outweigh the lifetime value to NZ of their child getting residency here.
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/preparing-a-visa-appl…
If you live in a country that does not have panel physicians you can visit any registered doctor, who must complete the required medical certificates and send them to us as evidence of your health.
Call me cynical, but that isn't a service that could ever be bought is it?
Don't pay, you're on the next plane out.
You got the 'plane out' correct, but not who is on it.
Those on the plane are the original 'young and beneficial to NZ immigrants' to make money at home or Aussie. They leave the grandparents here to take the children to school however so I guess that's a win for NZ Inc...
2Noodles, Anyone over 50 who comes here, should have at least 2million cash and a comprehensive health and pension insurance.
No entitlement to NZ pension unless they pay over a certain amount of tax in the years before 65.
Simple. I might add they should be sent home if they fail the criteria at retirement.
NZers are some of the most kindest and sharing people in the world. I came here on a work permit as a skill migrant; I paid 60k for my immigration consultant and got a 100k job offer as a cook at my immigrations consultants partners business. Within 1 week I hurt my back and then got 2 years on ACC with the payment of 80K per year. NZers have been so kind and sharing with me. I travelled around NZ and did some Skiing to recover in Queens. Travelled the Milford track and I met a white Kiwi girl in Queens and got her pregnant, now my parents are out here. They are going to get the pension, they get accommodation supplement and care givers allowance atm while they wait for the pension, they also got a pensioner flat. We also got a Kiwibuild too, but we don't spend much time there and have 'flatmates' in there, the rent from the Kiwis in the Kiwibuild financed my first rental investment and I have been doing up garages and renting them out to Kiwis. NZers shared their health care with us and my mum got her cataracts done in the first 2 months of being and then my dad had his cateracts done. We couldn't afford brain surgery for my dad back home, but when he came here with his family reunification residency permit - he got his brain surgery. NZers don't realise how much we appreciate that they shared all their health care and benefits with us. The surgery and recover cost probably 1.5mil. When we call them stupid dumb Kiwis we only mean it as a joke.
Labour re-opened the Parents Visa, which National had shut down. Obviously, when the 210,000 temporary immigrants were all made permanent residents by Jacinda in 2021, they immediately qualified to bring over their parents and grandparents.
National need to shut this visa down again. There is no capacity in the health system to cope with more elderly people. Not to mention the fact that taxpayers will be forced to cough up a fully funded Govt pension for them in 10 years time.
Also, around 10 years ago Australia did a study into the cost/benefits of migrants, and specifically looked at the Parents Visa. The study said the cost to the taxpayer was $450,000 per person! There is no way that a young single immigrant taxpayer could ever cover the cost of bringing in their parents, and the Parents Visa allows them to sponsor up to 6 parents and grandparents each.
Sorry to interupt you: 'Immigration Minister Erica Stanford is looking at reforms to family visas this term, bringing hope of long-stay visits for overseas parents and grandparents.". It will not shut down by National. It is even bringing hope on the 12000 on the waiting lists.
"long stay visits" is one thing, permanent residency is another. I have no objection to them coming here, paying their own healthcare costs, supporting themselves, and NOT receiving a Govt pension. They can"visit" as much as they like.
The particular visa that Stanford may be referring to may be the Parent and Grandparent 18 month visitor visa. Hopefully! Cross fingers.!
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/visas/visa/parent-and…
Will be interesting to know how this surge is outpacing the rising numbers of immigrants of other ages, I didn't see this comparison in the article.
Immigration into NZ surged in general. Or is the surge especially pronounced in regards to the "over50 y/o" migrants?
feels like the govt is very careful not to let us know exactly who they are letting in, and who is leaving.
if they didnt have a huge net immigration of peeps at the moment our economy would be deep in recession.. so they have to let anyone they can in so they can claim GDP is still growing.
the reality in the medium to long term is that the people that they are letting in is doing untold damage to the economy, infrastructure and well being.. but they dont need to worry about anything that happens more than 4 years away
Labour’s clean slate
Following in those pre-trodden footsteps, Andrew Little pushed Labour’s version which was a 10-year multiple entry “Super Visa” allowing grandparents and parents of migrants to make successive visits of between 6 months and 5 years.
Their policy would also require health insurance.
That's not quite how it works. You simply must have resided in New Zealand for a certain number of years - whether you worked or not is immaterial. Having worked (and / or paid tax) is NOT a requirement, it simply comes back to how long you resided in the country. The actual number of years you must have lived here is up to 20, and depends on your age. For me, born in 1972, I must spend a minimum of 17 years in New Zealand after age 20 to qualify. And everyone must have spent a minimum of 5 years in New Zealand after age 50 to qualify.
The older you are, the less years you need to qualify. It starts at 10 years, so if you bring in over 65's they are not subject to the 20 year rule.
https://workandincome.govt.nz/eligibility/seniors/nz-super-and-veterans…
Did you not read the article;
A look at the monthly residence approval figures shows the number of residence visas approved for the 65 and above cohort, jumped sharply immediately after last year's general election, to more than 200 a month from November 2023 onwards, after remaining at less than 100 a month almost continuously since 2016.
jumped sharply (i.e., doubled) after last year's general election.
Can't blame the "Left" for that.
I do. They didn't stop stupid immigration when they had the chance.
Of course, I also blame the right and Winston First too for the same reason.
This policy area may be a blind spot for you Kate, I'd hope for reasons why those born in NZ benefit from it rather than a 'they were worse' offering.
We just shouldn't be bringing in drivers at all, let alone their parents. We should consider the impact on wages for those already employed and housing costs from population growth.
They applied under Labour. The processing of them is simply where they were in the queue. Sure, National could have come in and simply frozen the entire immigration process, but that would have disrupted genuine applicants. Laws also need to be changed. It takes time to get your boots under the table and figure out exactly what is going on in your Ministry, as you'll be thwarted by the Labour appointees in there who are dedicated to their mission of open borders and who will do everything to gaslight the incoming Govt. See how the healthcare managers are blocking the hiring of doctors and nurses to spite the National Govt instead of sacking managers and admin staff like they were supposed to. These departments are rotten to the core, and Seymour should sack the lot of them.
"Every Uber driver I have spoken to in Auckland has been Bangladeshi. All very pleasant people and no issue with them being here whatsoever"
I can not say the same about Kiwis, a Kiwi gave me my first job but I would never do that for a Kiwi. They are racists and we never employ them in our business for that reason. If all Kiwis left this place and it was only us then this place would be one of the wealthiest countries in the world but if this place was full of Kiwis it would be a third world country. Kiwi's deserve to live in a third world country and the reason this place is the way it is, is because of clever hard working immigrants and not stupid lazy racist Kiwis.
All very pleasant people
Mostly agree.
no issue with them being here whatsoever
Disagree, suppresses wages of NZ born Uber drivers (they are a thing), lessens the chances of unemployed NZ born people from being given a chance to train and do the job and increases housing costs for all NZ born citizens.
there is nothing stopping them
True enough, the wages and hours accepted. However, I'm not going to pretend high immigration (more supply) and the carrot of residence (estimated to be worth $100,000's) isn't going to drive wages (price) lower. I think the low wages (cause) result in kiwi's not working in the industry (effect).
We own all the businesses and all the professional occupations are dominated by us, this place is our place now. Kiwis can't run this place without us, they are too stupid. Its only right we bring our entire family out, we run the UK and will run parliament when we have enough, white people colonized us and now we colonize them. In Auckland, Europeans will be come a minority soon, and there will be more Asians than Europeans. New Zealand is an Asian country and belongs to Asians.
There is a huge gap in this reporting. although briefly mentioned, the concern of health care needs is legitimate. Is there a requirement for health insurance or some other means to have your health care covered? Plus how are they supported? Despite the fact that I am usually against the often ageist complaints about the cost of the pension in NZ for locals, I do believe that immigrants should not be able to arrive here and claim the pension. Even the mentioned 10 year period is too short i feel.
People complain about the need for private healthcare cover via places like AIA or SX, but we really need to start pushing for the requirement for, at the least, foreign born residents/citizens to require healthcare cover in order to get any service - even in the public healthcare system.
Raising revenue is easy, we just need a government who isn't afraid to implement policies like this.
While I don't necessarily agree with National cutting all the public service workers from office, at least they're taking some form of action to reduce costs.
There is no requirement for health insurance. It is a permanent residency visa, and as such they get all the benefits of being a permanent resident including free healthcare and education. Their children are supposed to support them for two years until they qualify for welfare benefits (but seems the emergency benefit neatly covers those 2 years).
They didnt put brakes on the parent reunification visa, National had already cannned the whole thing. Labour resurrected it. The promise to reduce immigration that Labour made to NZ voters and NZ First was just an election ploy, and they promptly reneged on it. When Winston said he was lied to, gaslit, and left out of decisions, this is one prime example of that.
Agree and thanks for the link in another post about the scaling (watering down) of the age restriction as I wasn't aware the 20 years doesn't always apply.
I think immigration is wide open for another party to pick up votes on. Unfortunately, TOP is asleep at the wheel trying not to offend anyone. I've tried raising it in the members lounge but am greeted by the sound of crickets even though lower immigration was their policy for a couple of elections. A real shame as it logically would fit so well with their tax reform and affordable housing goals.
Fascinating statistics, but far greater insights are required in order to make sense of this change in demographics. For example where are they coming from, are they retired or working, how wealthy are they.
I could suggest that the vast majority are coming here to reside at some of the new luxury golf resorts such as Te Arai Links and Tara Iti near to Mangawhai bringing with them massive wealth and funds and greatly contributing to local industry and employment.
But who knows?
Our immediate neighbours are Indian and their elderly parents are here with them. The same thing a few doors down from us.
But where they are coming from doesn’t matter. It’s the quantum that is the issue and the burden they will be placing on an overstretched healthcare system.
The Chinese bring their parents over, set them up on Govt support, then abandon them.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/migrants-parents-left-alone-in-nz/756W56B…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/eastern-courier/103939623/e…?
Would be interesting to see this in relation to the total number of migrants. The number for the year ending May 2024 is broadly consistent with the numbers in 2015/2016, but higher than the prepandemic years of 2017/2018, but you can't really say if it's just a catch up, or returning to those levels.
We must be the laughing stock of these countries, where these older migrants are coming from ......you can get your parents over here to look after you kids, and while you work back in a business in your home country and while you supply chains etc are all you home country, your kids are getting a free education - while your parents get free healthcare ....and a pension after 10 years.
Does anyone in Wellington ever sit down and work out the health costs to these people over 65, who have never paid tax or lived before in NZ ?
What some of these older immigrants (often parents who followed their kids to NZ) do is return to their homeland for a bit under 6 months each year - and they receive super the whole time and spend it in their homeland. So long as they spend no more than 6 months of the year outside of NZ, they get their full pension. This is particularly prevalent in the Thai community. My wife is Thai and we're plugged in to the local Thai community. Some of these older Thais never worked a minute in NZ, never paid any income tax, yet receive $500 / week from the taxpayer and will do so until the day they die.
Can't anybody see that it's all political. These overseas oldies coming in under National are obviously going to vote National as do their children who have already gained citizenship, just as Labour was hoping that all the immigrants would be repaying them by voting for Labour.
It also provides a sort of "padding" against the likes of Te Pati and the now-Maori Green Party gaining too much political power.
I have always maintained that the Indians will eventually swamp NZ and end up politically running the country.
On the other hand Indians are probably the only educated peoples that would tolerate our horrendous crime statistics a lot of which are perpetrated by other ethnic imports.
Indians have always been hard workers, and very ambitious. They seek out businesses and ways to get ahead in life. As such, they are getting their NZ citizenship and are on the first flight to Australia along with all the other Kiwis. I wouldnt rely on them to stay behind and support all the welfare bludgers and other entitled minority groups.
If you go to any business you will see we are running it. Its because Kiwis are stupid and useless at running business, we run this country now and make it better. Kiwis don't deserve to live here, they are too lazy to work and to stupid to run a business, we deserve to live here and Kiwis should leave and go back to Europe! Kiwis do not belong here, we do! This is why we only employ people from home to work in our business and not Kiwis. A Kiwi gave me my first job but I would not do that for a Kiwi because they are stupid.
The Kiwi can not compete with us, we own alot of the houses now which we rent out to the Kiwi, you never see us sleeping on streets or begging for money outside shops? There are so many of us here now, Last year, over 100,000 came here from home and most settled in Auckland. Auckland has 700,000 white Kiwis and within 3 years, there will be more of us than white Kiwis. Kiwis will vote for us, but there is no way we will every vote for a Kiwi if one of us is standing; a Kiwi will give us a job but we will never employ a Kiwi in business we own. We out complete Kiwis because we are better than Kiwis, our kids do better at school, they come home talking about the dumb Kiwis at school, in our sectors of the economy we pushed all the Kiwis out and we are only happy when young Kiwis leave the country because we own all the businesses and when they lose their jobs, they find we won't employ them in our businesses, it just means more for us and less for them. If you go to the KFC - who do you give your money to, if you go to the packn save, who do you give your money to, when you go and buy your liquor, who do you give your money to, when your kids come in to buy vapes, who do they give their money to? when you phone the council, who do you talk to, who comes to visit you from the council? who teaches your children at school? Kiwi do not deserve to live here and should all leave, they should all be made to live in a third world country. They will not survive because they are too weak and stupid.
We own restaurants and businesses. We dominate the business associations. We own the liquor stores and it is the Kiwi Kids who buy our vapes, our kids are brought up better, our kids do better at school than the dumb Kiwi, Kiwi should leave the country and go to the third world, they come out to a place that they don't belong in, NZ is an Asian country and belongs to Asians; In 5 years with the current immigration rate we will be 70% of the population in Auckland.
Correct, except that:
If they finance themselves/have sponsors it shouldn't bother anyone, just a few thousands a year.
They don't (Migrants' parents left alone in NZ - NZ Herald) and it isn't enforced even if they said they would.
They are not entitled to a pension, that's for sure!
They are (after 10 to 20 years).
Once upon a time there was a shire called NZ, inhabited by kind, simple folk who believed they were the centre of the world, well sort of because most didn’t really know what was out in the world apart from social media.
They gossiped and squabbled over cats up a tree, colour of power poles and liked another holiday each year to be added. All the problems were the fault of the government, which no one was interested in, but always wanted the government and taxpayer to fix any problem or they were responsible for any problem.
They couldn’t do maths very well but the taxpayer could provide a continuous flow of new money for anything they needed. Likewise counting things like nuts and bolts was a bit hard or reading a speedo on a car.
Rules and systems are for those Woke types and what the heck is a operating manual - only weird people who like that education thing bother with that nonsense, in fact those types cause all the problems (apart from the fact they designed and built all the good stuff I need)
The banks were ripping them off because they expected to be paid back and they wanted interest on the money the simple folk had needed for useful stuff on Temu and other online sites.
They needed more people to come here to work as they were a bit tired and needed a rest, fine bring the family the taxpayer will look after them, that taxpayer has plenty of money.
Sounds like you could make a few fantasy trilogies about this lot.
The flip side: a Kiwi guy I know aged 70 who returned here to live after decades overseas in a very niche job he loved and excelled at and which had no equivalent in NZ. he spent the first 20-30 years of his life here but fails to qualify for Super as he can't meet the criteria of 5 years of residency after 50.
he owns a house in a remote area and lives off his modest savings. (There was no employer pension plan for foreigners, in his overseas job). He is now physically/mentally not up to much, but is too proud to ask for state help.
I am told it will be up to 8 or 9 years before he qualifies for Super, by which time he could well be dead.
All his ancestors arrived her from Britain in the 1850s, some fought and died in wars to defend NZ.
i think the problem is that it also has to be 5 years between 20 and 50 (apologies if i am wrong - it is what he has been told by winz) and he only has two years. apparently his time in Australia in his later twenties can't be offset.
re jobseeker, he gets interest income off his savings and he worries about that and also having to fill in all the forms, and also fears they will expect him to exhaust his savings first.
the bigger picture is that i suspect there are a lot of older Kiwis who left NZ in the 80s amid the Roger Douglas economic reforms, as they lost their jobs, or maybe were also hit by the Ruth Richardson mother of all budgets when they tried to return later. they always expected to return eventually but time passed by, and also they didn't keep track of relevant legislation.
You can most certainly use time in Australia to meet the residency requirements.
Who can get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension
You may be able to get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension while you're living in New Zealand. To get this you must meet the eligibility criteria for NZ Super or Veteran's Pension
If you don't meet the eligibility criteria, you may still qualify if you meet the following criteria:
you are 67 or older (the age criteria for Australian Age Pension)
you have lived in Australia (as defined by Centrelink) for at least 12 months between age 20 and age 67 (the age you qualify for Australian Age Pension), of which 6 months were continuous
you either:
are ordinarily resident in NZ when you apply, or
intend to remain in New Zealand for at least 1 year or have lived in NZ for at least 6 months before you apply, and are in New Zealand when you apply
you either:
have lived in NZ for a certain number of years since you turned 20, with 5 years since the age of 50. How many years you need is based on your date of birth (you can work this out on our 'Who can get NZ Super' page). You can use time spent as an Australian resident between age 20 and age 67 (the age you qualify for Australian Age Pension) to count towards this, or
are in New Zealand when you apply.
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/on-a-benefit/overseas-travel/social-s…
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