3. Question No. 3—ImmigrationRICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH (Green) to the Minister of ImmigrationQuestion No. 3—Immigration3. RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH (Green) to the Minister of Immigration: Does he consider that current immigration policies are fair and equitable towards migrant families?Hon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Immigration): Yes I do noting that there are always balances to be struck with an immigration policy. I note that last week I announced that Immigration New Zealand will be prioritising 2021 resident visa applications from applicants who are currently separated from their offshore partners and/or dependent children. In addition to this the Government has a number of other policies which are making a positive difference for migrant families including reopening and updating the settings of the parent category visa which were closed in 2016; reopening the skilled migrant category; doubling the refugee quota; and forming a migrant community reference group. I'm committed to pursuing an immigration policy that treats our migrants with respect and dignity and that's exactly what our Government is focused on.Ricardo Menéndez March: Does he believe migrant nurses and teachers earning less than $86K a year should qualify to bring their parents to live in New Zealand on the parent residency visa; if not why not?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: The member is referring to the parent residency visa pathway that our Government did recently reopen after it was closed by the previous Government in 2016. As a part of that policy we increased the cap over what had previously been proposed to 2500 per year we reduced the income thresholds and we also made it more flexible to reach the income thresholds by enabling siblings to join their incomes together to reach those thresholds. The reason that the thresholds are in place however is about striking a balance whereby we do not want a situation whereby elderly migrant parents might come into the country but not have sufficient support to look after their welfare when they are potentially unable to support themselves. That is a balance that we try to strike. It's a balance that most countries have. I do note that we do have other visa pathways that do enable families in New Zealand to connect with parents from other countries on a more temporary basis.Ricardo Menéndez March: Has he heard concerns that migrants experiencing visa delays or potentially rejection of their visa as a result of accessing mental health services face increased stigma and ill mental health; if so what steps are being taken to address this?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: I haven't directly heard of any of those concerns but what I would assure the House is that in respect of the acceptable standard of health" policy which has been a longstanding part of our immigration policy there is no differentiation between physical illness and mental health conditions. We do believe that it is reasonable that as most countries do there is an assessment as to whether there might be significant health costs that would fall to the public purse as a result of migration. Our Government has recently increased the "acceptable standard of health" threshold from $41000 to $81000 and removed a number of conditions. So we do always look to ensure that it's as facilitative and as reasonable as possible but ultimately I don't think it's unreasonable that any Government does have that basic assessment within the immigration system.Ricardo Menéndez March: What further advice or work is he awaiting if any before making decisions following his comments that "The Government does not have a closed mind" on a regularisation initiative for overstayers?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: The question of regularisation is one that has been raised in a number of quarters over the course of the last year and the member is correct that I have said that it's not one that I have a closed mind on. It is however a complex area. Any Government that does want to consider that policy will need to be mindful of precedent mindful of how such a policy could be operationalised mindful of equity issues between people who might benefit from such a policy and people who have already voluntarily self-deported. Those are the sorts of complex issues that any Government would have to work through before it made a decision in that area and as I indicated to the member last week it is an area where I have asked for advice from officials. It's one that I will work through very carefully.Teanau Tuiono: Is the Minister concerned that under-aged undocumented migrants aren't able to fully participate in their communities and if so will he introduce an amnesty for overstayers?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: I refer to my previous answer which is that the Government hasn't made a decision to that effect but it's one that I have sought further information and advice from officials on.Teanau Tuiono: Why are Pacific countries such as Tonga and Samoa not on the visa waiver list?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: As we've canvassed in the House New Zealand operates an immigration system whereby some countries are subject to visa waiver. In many countries in the Pacific and elsewhere residents do need to have a visa to enter New Zealand. That has been a part of our immigration system for a long time. It is a part of the assurance that we seek to ensure that people are going to—when they are planning to come to New Zealand they are doing so on a bona fides basis and I'm reasonably satisfied with that policy at this stage. I note that the vast majority of people from the countries that the member references do successfully receive their visas after they have applied for them."