The New Zealand immigration rate has slowed in the last four months.
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21 June 2010
New Zealand immigration rate slows for a fourth straight month
New Zealand’s annual immigration growth slowed in May for a fourth straight month, figures have shown.
In the 12 months ending 31 May, the number of permanent migrant arrivals exceeded departures by 17,967 Statistics New Zealand said.
The New Zealand immigration figure is down from 19,954 in the year through April and is the lowest since September.
Last month, the New Zealand Finance Minister Bill English moved to cut income taxes to encourage more New Zealanders to stay in the country, instead of pursuing higher paid jobs overseas. The number of New Zealanders headed to Australia in May climbed 20 per cent from a year earlier to 2,536.
Immigration reached the highest level in more than five years in January, but the slowdown is expected to stabilise.
The New Zealand Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people with their New Zealand Visa applications to the New Zealand Embassy.
