The Green Party is calling out the Government’s parent boost changes that benefit a wealthier minority while doing nothing to help reunite thousands of migrant families.
“The Government is essentially telling thousands of migrant families that if your parents don’t have a quarter of a million in funds, they are not welcome here,” says the Green Party's spokesperson for Immigration, Ricardo Menéndez March.
“Our migrant communities give so much to Aotearoa, they deserve to be treated with respect and provided with pathways that connect them with their families. Today’s announcement falls significantly short of this.
“The Government’s changes to the Parent Boost visa send a clear signal that they do not value the significant contribution of our migrant communities who National labelled as essential not long ago. This is not good enough.
“The requirements of the five-year parent category visa mean only those with significant wealth will be able to apply, leaving out the lower wage migrant workers National was calling “essential” not many years ago.
“The Greens support having genuine residency pathways for parents, because it makes no sense for families to be kept apart. Being wealthy should not be a prerequisite to having your parents with you in New Zealand. We will overhaul the parent residency scheme to ensure families are treated fairly,” says Ricardo Menéndez March.
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