10. Question No. 10—ImmigrationLEMAUGA LYDIA SOSENE (Labour) to the Minister of ImmigrationQuestion No. 10—Immigration10. LEMAUGA LYDIA SOSENE (Labour) to the Minister of Immigration: What reports has he seen on the reopening of our borders?Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Immigration): Monday—which is yesterday—marked one year since our border fully reopened following the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then we have seen demand to visit New Zealand far outstrip initial expectations showing that our reconnecting New Zealand strategy has been a huge success. Since the full reopening on 31 July 2022 we've approved over 2.1 million people to visit study or work in New Zealand. This includes over 1.7 million visitors over 48000 international students more than 75000 accredited employer work visas being issued and over 60000 working holiday visas being issued. This is a real vote of confidence in New Zealand as an attractive destination for workers students and tourists and shows that despite international economic headwinds and higher costs associated with travel post-pandemic we can be proud of our reopening to the world. In this respect I acknowledge the work of my predecessors the Hon Michael Wood and the Hon Kris Faafoi.Lemauga Lydia Sosene: How do these figures compare to visitor numbers before the pandemic?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: Figures from Stats New Zealand show that net migration figures have rebounded to the sorts of volumes we were seeing prior to the pandemic. In addition to this Immigration New Zealand has just recorded its busiest June ever of incoming visitor visa application volumes with more than 46000 visitor visa applications approved. This follows the busiest ever May experienced. The Government is of course monitoring volumes to ensure that our small country and labour market can fully absorb those who wish to come here and deal with community pressures effectively.Lemauga Lydia Sosene: How are we ensuring that we are getting the workers we need into the country?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: These strong migration figures reflect in part the responsiveness we built into the work visa system. The job check process ensures that accredited employer work visas are only able to be granted if a New Zealander is not able to be found to do a given job. Obviously during a period of near record low unemployment this will be an easier threshold to meet. However when unemployment picks up we would expect these numbers to drop as more New Zealanders become available for work. These changes have been made in part to ensure we are attracting the highly skilled people we need and the OECD has recognised our success in this area by naming us the most attractive country in the world for skilled migrants.Lemauga Lydia Sosene: Does Immigration New Zealand have the processing capacity to keep up with strong interest in visiting and working in New Zealand?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I am confident that they do. After a tricky initial period with a new IT system and demand for visas massively outstripping expectations visa processing figures have now settled and for the vast majority of applicants I am confident they will receive a timely decision. The Government will continue to monitor visa processing figures closely to ensure that these high standards are maintained.