WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – NEARLY 43,000 work visa and similar visas (Philippine Working Holiday and Skilled Migrant Visas) were approved by Immigration New Zealand last year and we have to assume that a good number of these are kabayan applicants from the Philippines.
The recent general election has given Filipinos holding temporary work visas (work visas, student visas etc) renewed hope on easier requirements and longer visa periods.
Even though our kabayan candidates failed to win in their respective electorates (electoral districts), their influence in the Labour Party, presently the party in Government, and the departure of the anti-migrant New Zealand First party which presumably blocked many pro-migrant and pro-Filipino policy initiatives have given many Pinoy guest workers a chance at permanent residency, which is the ultimate goal for many of them who’ve stayed and worked in New Zealand for a good part of the previous decade.
Immediate action on permanent residency is perhaps too much to hope for. It would involve across-the-board (or sweeping) change for all workers that would have far-reaching consequences on the labor market, the economy and politics that no one is prepared for.
Ganunpaman, there are still some ways change, positive change can be effected because of the fact that the Labour Party, traditionally the party of migrants and workers, can govern alone:
Pahabain ang visa period mula 3 hanggang 5 taon. (Lengthen visa periods to three to five years) Alam nating lahat na ang average employment period ng isang guest worker (work visa holder) ay dalawang hanggang tatlong taon (2-3 years) at pinakamababa na to. By the time the employer has chosen and hired the visa worker, alam na nya ang kakayahan at reputasyon nito, and very often the employer is rewarded by the visa worker with hard work, skill and loyalty. This is true whether or not the worker is a kabayan Filipino, but we Pinoys particularly will benefit from this rule.
We will enjoy benefits like health services earlier, we take advantage of financing and loans because of longer visa periods, and of course we enjoy better security of tenure. On the employer’s side, it knows that the work force will create better productivity, and also doesn’t need to worry about looking for skilled workers all the time.
Open up more visa pathways for Pinoys. The New Zealand experience with Filipinos, with few exceptions, has been overwhelmingly positive. We have contributed to the work force in numerous fields of endeavor, the building, medical and IT industries only a few, and the potential for Filipinos in more and more areas is practically unlimited.
Thousands, tens of thousands of competent, willing and able English-speaking workers are available from the Philippines, and all that’s needed are to open up quotas and ease visa restrictions for our countrymen. It would be a win-win for everyone, as businesses and employers all over New Zealand would fill skilled positions, and more and more of our kabayan would feed their families, fulfill their personal dreams and help rebuild the struggling economy back home.
Create a direct pathway from guest worker to permanent resident. Right now there is an existing pathway called Work to Residence, but all temporary work visa holders should be given a chance to stay here permanently, and the reason is simple : if they are productive on the short term, they will undoubtedly remain productive in the long term. The policy needs to be refined and it’s a long and complicated process, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. But everyone will come out a winner in the end, the ball just needs to get rolling.
Thanks for reading, mabuhay!
