Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Pooja Sundar: Immigration Lawyer on the number of visa rejections dropping to a post-Covid low

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Pooja Sundar: Immigration Lawyer on the number of visa rejections dropping to a post-Covid low · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now we're rejecting fewer visa applications in this country. The
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: numbers now to post COVID low. Last year's rejection rate
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: was six point three percent, down from seven point three
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: the previous two years. India made up the largest share
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: of rejections, at almost thirty percent last year. Pooja Sunda
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  Speaker 1: is an immigration lawyer and joins US this morning. Good morning, morning.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: So what does this make sense? Because we now have
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  Speaker 1: for the Chinese and for some Pacific countries, we've got
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: visa waivers, right, so it would make sense that we
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: have fewer rejections.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: It does, and I think that also kind of post COVID,
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: there was a new visa type, the credits and employer
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  Speaker 2: work visa. There were people who were still trying to
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  Speaker 2: understand the requirements that we had, as well as more
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  Speaker 2: visa types were released and visa settings were adjusted and
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: policy settings were adjustere. So I think things have just
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: kind of settled over the last couple of years.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Why do you think it's India, China and Pakistan accounted
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: for the largest share of rejections. Why is that?
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: You know, it is actually really really interesting. I think
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  Speaker 2: it's a really good question. And what we should be
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: looking at is why is that, especially given the overstair
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  Speaker 2: numbers that came out over the last couple of years
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  Speaker 2: had actually shown the largest number of overstays that we
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  Speaker 2: have in New Zealand are from the USA and Great Britain.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: So when they have the highest proportion of overstairs, the
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  Speaker 2: why do we have India, China and Pakistan leading the
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  Speaker 2: most number of declines. It is a very interesting question
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  Speaker 2: and I think it shows a disproportionate targeting on stereotyping
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  Speaker 2: of various I guess backgrounds and an assumption that they're
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  Speaker 2: coming here to stay for economic reasons and not actually
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  Speaker 2: to visit as they may be applying. So it's something
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  Speaker 2: to ask Immigration Museum, I think as to what is
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: that disproportionate targeting?
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  Speaker 1: So you reckon we reject more Indian and Chinese because
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  Speaker 1: we're worried they might stay here, when actually it's that.
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  Speaker 1: But then maybe that's the reason why we're the Brits
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  Speaker 1: and the Americans are overstaying more often because we're letting
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: more in.
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  Speaker 2: You know. Yeah, but I think it's not quite proportionate.
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  Speaker 2: We've got a fifteen point two percent of total overstairs
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  Speaker 2: we're from the USA and eight point six percent of
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  Speaker 2: total overstairs or from the Great Britain. So given them
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  Speaker 2: that make up such a large proportion, it's interesting that
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  Speaker 2: we have the way of policy there and we don't
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  Speaker 2: quite have it in the same way for our Asian neighbors.
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: Interesting, Pooja, it is, well, yeah, a very interesting question
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  Speaker 1: one we will and should ask Immigration New Zealand about.
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: What about what about the fact that in the last
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  Speaker 1: year it has gone down, but the previous two years
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  Speaker 1: it was a bit higher and this is now the
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  Speaker 1: lowest post COVID. Do you think that there is still
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: a COVID effect happening here?
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: I think that the visa settings have changed quite a
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: bit in the last couple of years, and that people
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: are also understanding how immigration is. Yelder's approaching a lot
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: of visa decisions and therefore are more prepared, have potentially
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: gotten advice, and we're getting a better quality level of
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  Speaker 2: out perfection.
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  Speaker 1: Pooja Sunder Immigration lawyer with us this morning.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: to News Talks itt B from five am weekdays, or
• 3:16
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