ACT Floats Employer Fee to Replace Temporary Work Visas
November 24, 2022
PHOTO: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
ACT Party leader David Seymour says it needs to be easier for businesses to access skilled workers.
The ACT Party wants to scrap temporary work visas and instead make employers pay a fee if they choose to hire someone from overseas.
It’s part of ACT’s immigration policy, which it says will bring talented people to New Zealand with “minimal rigmarole”.
The fee would initially be the same rate as the current Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme but would later be adjusted, depending on net migration trends and population growth.
“The advantage of a price system is that employers can assess whether it’s worth paying the fee or hiring locally, instead of the bureaucracy trying to decide which employers ‘deserve’ workers,” the policy document states.