The Government has announced a new visa category to bring in overseas specialists for clean-up and recovery after Cyclone Gabrielle and Auckland flooding.
Immigration Minister Michael Wood said the "Recovery Visa" will allow workers with skills such as insurance assessment, engineering, heavy machinery operation and debris removal to come to Aotearoa immediately.
"The Recovery Visa means overseas specialists needed to support the recovery efforts can come here immediately," he said in a statement.
"The visa covers the mix of workers needed for clean-up and recovery, including construction workers."
"Applications will be open today, and the visa will last for up to six months. The fee will be refunded for successful applicants, making it free for those who come here."
The visas will be prioritised with an aim to have applications to be processed within one week of being received, Wood said.
He added that additional staffing would also be provided to Immigration New Zealand to speed up visa processing.
He said the visa is similar to those used for previous natural disaster responses but acknowledged that global workforce shortages may limit its uptake.
"Today’s announcement will not change global workforce shortages that are still at play.
"We need to accept the visa may not see the same level of uptake of those in the past — but we understand how important it is to do all we can to relieve pressure on business."
The Immigration Minister said the Government would be looking to introduce further overseas worker initiatives "as we gain a greater understanding of the scope and specialist skills required for the recovery."
"The Public Service Commission is working with Immigration New Zealand to bring in additional medical assessors and identity specialists as additional resource from across the private and public sector to support overall visa processing timeframes," he said.
"These skills will be made available to Immigration as they are freed up elsewhere. It’s important, however to stress they will not be pulled from the immediate cyclone response."
They have few possessions and a lot of mouths to feed. (Source: 1News)
The Government's announcement comes soon after the opposition called for similar measures on Thursday afternoon.
National's immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford said the planned changes to the median wage threshold should be scrapped, with an expanded Green List, so workers have a pathway to residence.
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