Declining trend in the number of permanent New Zealand visa holders arriving in Christchurch has been identified.
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23 June 2011
New Zealand visa arrivals to Christchurch down
A declining trend in the number of permanent New Zealand visa holders arriving in Christchurch has been identified, with May marking the third consecutive month that the net flow of migrants into New Zealand has been down.
Some have cited the Christchurch earthquakes as a reason for the decline in permanent and long-term New Zealand visa arrivals, with Statistics New Zealand revealing that while departures of Christchurch residents were up 300 on May last year, while there were 100 fewer arrivals into the city.
For the year ended May, Christchurch's net population gain from New Zealand immigration was just 4,600, compared with a net gain of 18,000 the year before and an average annual gain of 12,000 over the past 20 years.
"The number of New Zealanders leaving permanently, particularly to Australia, had been high prior to the February earthquake, reflecting the challenging New Zealand economic environment and the attraction of the strong Australian labour market," ASB economist Jane Turner said.
"The earthquake adds further momentum to this trend. We expect net outflows may continue over the coming months, particularly following the large earthquake early last week."
The New Zealand Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people with New Zealand immigration applications.
