8. Question No. 8—ImmigrationERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays) to the Minister of ImmigrationQuestion No. 8—Immigration8. ERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays) to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by his statements and actions?Hon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Immigration): Yes. In particular I stand by the Government's plan to reconnect with the world. Over the last two years New Zealanders have relied on our Government to take a careful approach to the border and this caution has paid off with lives and livelihoods protected on a scale not seen elsewhere in the developed world. We are now taking a staged and balanced approach which will see New Zealand open up fully throughout the course of 2022. We've already welcomed back highly skilled workers and working holidaymakers and next week we'll also welcome back people offshore with a valid work or student visa—up to 5000 students—to study in semester two and also we'll welcome back our Australian brothers and sisters.Erica Stanford: Why has he not changed the criteria of the 2021 residency visa so that all migrant nurses are eligible regardless of their visa type to help fill the shortfall of 4000 nurses as identified by the Minister of Health on Sunday?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: The criteria of the 2021 resident visa was very much focused on making sure we could secure the workforce that have been here and contributing over the last two years. The primary purpose of people's visas had to be work and we have given certainty to a number of people who have already applied and been given residency but importantly also given their employers certainty about retaining their staff.Erica Stanford: In light of that answer then what does he say to GP Paul Jones and his anaesthetist wife Fleur Harding working in New Zealand who recently left New Zealand because they were on the wrong visa type to be eligible for the 2021 residence visa and why won't he change the criteria to include all doctors?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Again part of the bedrock criteria for being eligible for the 2021 resident visa was being on the appropriate work visa. If people were here on the likes of a working holiday visa and acting as a locum their primary purpose was being here to work and have a holiday not to work in New Zealand.Chris Bishop: Point of order Mr Speaker. For two supplementary questions in a row the Minister has been asked by my colleague Erica Stanford around why criteria haven't been changed and in both answers—I let the first one go—the Minister didn't get anywhere near addressing the actual question that my colleague asked.SPEAKER: I can't focus two supplementaries back; the last one answered the question absolutely. He was very clear.Erica Stanford: Is he concerned based on numbers from the Immigration website that the 2021 resident visa is on track to grant an extra 40000 to 60000 migrants residency above the 165000 approved by Cabinet yet still manages to miss out the doctors and nurses that we desperately need?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I'm not concerned about making sure that we give more people certainty that have made a commitment to New Zealand especially over the last two years to make sure that they can be here to work. The criteria are clear and the people who are eligible have to be here primarily on a work visa that is focused on work.