According to the New Zealand Immigration Office, as of the end of 2019, the New Zealand Residence Programme, abbreviated as NZRP, has made three adjustments:
The immigration quota from July 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019 (a total of 18 months) has been adjusted to 50,000-60,000 people, of which:
51% of applicants are for skilled migrants or business migrants: this category had a proportion of 60% from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2018
38% of applications are for family reunification migration: this category had a proportion of 32%-33% from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2018
11% of migrants are humanitarian migrants: this category had a quota of 7%-8% from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2018
In comparison, the total immigration quota from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2018 (a total of 24 months) was 85,000-90,000. This is a reduction of 5,000 people compared to the immigration quota from July 2014 to June 2016.
It is worth mentioning that the number of PRs issued by the New Zealand Immigration Office in the 2017-2018 fiscal year (from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018) reached its lowest level since the 2001-2002 fiscal year. In contrast, the 2015-2016 fiscal year (from July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016) was the highest year for PR issuance—during this year, a total of 52,052 people received New Zealand residence visas.
It should be noted that it was the National Party government that suddenly raised the threshold for skilled migration in October 2016 (increasing the EOI selection score from 140 to 160 points) and suspended parent reunion migration, which led to the sharp decline in PR issuance.
According to the latest statistics from the New Zealand Immigration Office, between July 1, 2018, and January 31, 2019, the New Zealand Immigration Office has already issued PRs to 20,112 applicants. This means that before December 31 of this year, New Zealand still has about 30,000 to 40,000 immigration quotas remaining.
Starting from January 1, 2020, a more targeted approach will be adopted to set specific immigration quota goals for different types of residence visas. At that time, the government will establish new goals to help maximize the NZRP's contribution to New Zealand's economy and social welfare.