The Council of Trade Unions (CTU) today welcomed the Minister of Immigration’s announcement on granting residency to 165,000 working people and their families on temporary visas.

CTU President Richard Wagstaff said "This will be transformative for these working people and their families, who will now be able to plan their future in Aotearoa with security".

These working people and their families have made significant contributions to our country, sometimes over decades. The CTU has previously called for changes to give migrant workers more secure status. Today’s announcement offers help to those migrants and will ensure their place and contribution to New Zealand remains secure in the long-term.

Richard Wagstaff said "Working people on temporary visas can face great uncertainty, and for some the restrictions on their employment have left them vulnerable to exploitation. The CTU believes that this announcement today will significantly reduce migrant exploitation and is a welcome step towards ending this scourge in New Zealand".

The CTU is looking forward to working with the government on the rest of its immigration reset programme, to ensure a balanced approach to migration policy that supports our shared goals of a high-wage, highly skilled and productive economy.

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