2021 was yet another year riddled with Covid-19 lockdowns, endless queues for MIQ spots and families separated by border closures.
As the year draws to an end, we look at what this year has meant for immigrants in Aotearoa.
People at the Pathway to Residency petition in Auckland. Photo: Supplied / Migrant Workers Association of Aotearoa
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Immigration advisor Anu Kaloti was one of the many migrant New Zealanders who stood up for themselves this year.
"The number of [government] petitions, for example, in the last 12 months, I think it's historic. [There were] about 15 or 16 petitions specifically to do with immigration issues," she says.
2021 was a year of a lot of mobilisation, campaigns and rallies in between lockdowns.
There were several of them, with migrant workers calling for family reunification with loved ones stuck overseas and protesting exploitation and visa rejections.
"We all know when migrants are exploited or when overstayers are working under the table and being paid well below the legal minimum wage - that brings down working conditions and wages for all of us. It doesn't just impact those people. It just ultimately affects, adversely, all of us."
Anu Kaloti at the rally in July 2021 Photo: Migrant workers Association of Aotearoa
The was no shortage of Covid challenges for immigrants and migrant workers this year – but 2021 did also bring hope in the form of policy changes, Kaloti says.
In September, the big announcement of a new 2021 Resident Visa brought hope to 165,000 people living in New Zealand on work visas who could now apply for residency.
When the first lot of applications went in on 3 December, Immigration New Zealand's IT system simply couldn’t handle the influx, causing even further worry.
Kaloti says she won't be at all surprised if the system is overwhelmed once again when the next phase of applications opens in March 2022.
"Really what was needed was a staggered approach to people making applications.
"We're really happy that the Resident Visa 2021 was announced and so many people will benefit from it. But it could have been a lot more inclusive - [addressing] not just overstayers, but even people who are on temporary visas."
A protest outside parliament in April 2021 Photo: RNZ / Harry Lock
