Immigration lawyer calls new India work visas "cosmetic at best"

Two new work visa pathways under the India-New Zealand trade deal allow up to 5,000 skilled Indian professionals to work in New Zealand at any one time, for up to three years.

Immigration lawyer Alastair McClymont told RNZ that the new visas offer a worse deal than other work visas already open to Indian citizens. He described them as "cosmetic at best" and said they would attract "very few, if any" extra migrants.

According to RNZ, workers on the new India visas have no right to bring partners or children. Their time working in New Zealand also does not count towards the experience needed to qualify for permanent residence. By contrast, Indians applying under the Accredited Employer Work Visa can use their New Zealand work experience towards a pathway to residence, and can bring family while they work.

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said the new entry visas are extra options, on top of all the other work visas Indian citizens can apply for. Asked why the India visa rules differ from those in New Zealand's trade deals with China and South Korea, she said each trade agreement is negotiated individually.

The agreement, which entered into force on 20 October, includes the equivalent of 1,667 temporary employment entry visas a year for occupations where New Zealand has a skills shortage, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Under the agreement's Iconic Indian Occupations category, stays can last up to three years at any one time, depending on the employment agreement. The ministry also says New Zealand will introduce a working holiday arrangement for Indian citizens within two years of the agreement entering into force.