10. Question No. 10—ImmigrationERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays) to the Minister of ImmigrationQuestion No. 10—Immigration10. ERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays) to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by all his statements and actions?Hon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Immigration): Yes. This Government's priorities include keeping New Zealanders safe from COVID-19. The Government has taken a tough decision to keep the border closed to protect New Zealand from a global pandemic. Closing our border was critical to keep COVID-19 out and keep our economy open and keep New Zealanders safe. We acknowledge that these decisions have caused difficulties for people but they've also enabled us to get through the pandemic without large outbreaks which continue to be experienced overseas. There is one statement I made in Tuesday night's annual review debate about the dependent children of residency visa applicants who are turning 18. For clarification if a person in this situation applied for a student visa they would need to pay international fees. However they would be eligible for a work visa. But what I absolutely stand by is this Government's management of the border. Our border settings have saved lives kept our economy strong and are keeping everyone in New Zealand safe.Erica Stanford: Could the Minister explain what visa an 18-year-old with no experience or qualifications would get that would put them on a pathway to residence?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: There are a number of options available to someone in that situation. As I mentioned in the annual review debate on Tuesday I clarified that situation. Someone in that situation could apply for a work visa if they separated their application from the residency application of their parents.Erica Stanford: Which exact work visa could an 18-year-old with no experience and no skill apply for that would put them on a pathway to residence?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I'm not sure precisely what visa they would go for. I'm sure there are many options available to them. But what I would say is that the situation with the processing of visas is a difficult one in terms of the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) at the moment and I will acknowledge the fact that the demand in the SMC category has increased. The processing of those applications are not rubber-stamps; they are involved processes and they should be. Also in terms of skilled migrant category processing we have had an enormous amount of increased demand as opposed to forecast.Erica Stanford: Will he now admit that by separating from their parents' residence application those children over 18 would have no pathway to residence and no option but to return home and be split from their families?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: If the member is referring to the issue that I raised in my answer to the primary question I did not say at that time that they had a path to residency and I have clarified that issue in answer to the primary question.Ricardo Menéndez March: Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Would granting residency visas to the many migrants who currently cannot participate fully in society not be a useful way to ensuring they can be safe from any resurgence of the pandemic?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: That is an approach that the Government has not decided to take. What approach we have decided to take is that for those who are on temporary visas for the likes of working holiday visas or supplementary seasonal employment visas is managing to be able to extend those visas in order for those people to stay in New Zealand.Erica Stanford: Now that the Minister has admitted that there is no pathway to residence or ability to undertake domestic study will he grant work visas to the dependent children of migrants who have finished school but are unable to work study or volunteer because of the unprecedented delays in processing their families' resident visas?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I have addressed the issue around the processing delays for SMCs.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Answer the question.Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I will reiterate that the demand there—SPEAKER: Order! Order! Was that you Dr Smith?Hon Dr Nick Smith: Yes it was. I simply said Answer the question."SPEAKER: The member knows because I've told him at least 10 times in the past four years that the responsibility for deciding whether a Minister is answering a question is mine. That interjection has been ruled out by a number of Speakers before me and I just ask the member to learn. He is the father of the House and I think that every now and again it would be good if he could set a good example.Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I have outlined that there are delays to processing for the SMC category. It does come down to increased demand and also the fact that some of the capacity of Immigration New Zealand that would normally process those applications is actually taken up by assessing applications for border exceptions. As to the question that option is not under consideration.Erica Stanford: Has the Minister directed Government MPs and their staff to not intervene in any immigration cases and if so why?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: No."