What we are seeking to achieve over the next 3-5 years and why it's important

Immigration is a critical economic enabler for New Zealand. Migrants make up more than 25 percent of New Zealand’s workforce and make an annual net fiscal contribution to gross domestic product through the workforce of about $1.9 billion. Immigration New Zealand’s services also play an important role in export education and tourism, with export education contributing over $2 billion per year to the economy and tourism contributing $9.5 billion per year.

The importance of immigration services is also highlighted by the number of migrants and visitors coming to New Zealand. Although five percent fewer than in 2009, there were still 82,500 permanent and long-term arrivals in 2010 (including New Zealanders returning from overseas). Net migration was 10,500 in 2010 compared with 21,300 in 2009. However, the 2.525 million annual visitor arrivals to New Zealand in 2010 was three percent higher than in 2009. Visitor arrivals have increased 41 percent over the last decade, from 1.789 million in 2000.

To maximise immigration’s contribution to economic growth over the next five years, the Department will improve systems and service delivery. The Department also wants immigration services to be financially sustainable into the future and to effectively manage risk in an environment of increasingly sophisticated criminal activity.

The immediate outcomes the Department seeks to achieve for a more effective immigration system are:

• The attraction and retention of the people New Zealand needs is improved
• The delivery of visa services is improved
• The integrity of New Zealand’s immigration system is maintained.