Visa problems in New Zealand driving Filipino dairy farmers out

Dairy-guide-banner
Visa Problems in New Zealand Driving Filipino Dairy Farms Out – www.plnmedia.com

Filipino dairy farmers in New Zealand may be forced out of the country in droves after their applications for residency were rejected by the country’s immigration bureau.

Ministry for Business spokewoman, Rachel Purdom said that 57 per cent of the applications for residency from Filipinos were declined last year.

ADVERTISEMENT

Purdom noted that many employees only made partial matches in the required duties of diary cattle farmers – in essence they did not meet the requirements to have their residency visas approved.

Maiden Saba, who chairs the Filipino Dairy Workers in New Zealand, said those who are affected include herself – saying in fact that she and her countrymen may have to leave the country for Australia or Canada.  Saba also noted that employers fear that workers will transfer to different jobs once their residency visas are approved – essentially using the work visa to get employment abroad even though they had no intention of staying in the dairy farming business.

In New Zealand, children of non-residents must either work low-wage jobs or leave the island country because of the expensive international student fees.

ADVERTISEMENT

In recent reports, numerous cases of farmers exploiting migrant workers was found to be ‘alive and kicking’ in the New Zealand dairy farmer business.

Just on initial visits to local diary farms, 31 out of 44 farms were found to be guilty of breaking New Zealand labor laws – those laws include contracts, minimum wage and wet weather gear.

Filipinos make up the majority of the 11,636 migrant dairy workers who arrived in the country from July 2008 to April 2014.

ADVERTISEMENT