On Sunday, New Zealand’s government reported that 173,000 noncitizens migrated to the country last year, almost a record. The figure is also more than twice what forecasters predicted in May 2023, when officials projected that just 82,500 migrants would move to the country, with a current population of 5.1 million overall.

“Getting our immigration settings right is critical to this government’s plan to rebuild the economy,” said Erica Stanford, minister of immigration and education, in Sunday’s statement.

New Zealand will now impose an English-language requirement on those applying for worker visas, including for low-skilled jobs. The government is also reducing the length of stay to three years, down from five.

The government argued the new language requirement will ensure that incoming migrants better understand their rights, and raise concerns to the authorities. In February, New Zealand’s Public Service Commission, which oversees the country’s public sector organizations, alleged that loose visa rules exposed migrants to exploitation, or allowed them to effectively buy jobs.

According to government data, citizens from India, the Philippines, and China were the top three sources of inward migration by foreign nationals in 2023.

Advocates for the country’s migrant labor and ethnic communities told Radio New Zealand that they welcomed some of the changes, like the English-language requirement, yet felt the new rules did not do enough to tackle the risk of exploitation, and could also lead to visa processing delays.

New Zealand has tightened its immigration rules before. In September 2022, the government updated the country’s golden visa scheme—popular among Chinese investors—to bar property investments as a way to qualify. The government also increased the necessary investment threshold to receive the visa.

Applications dropped significantly after the rule change.

Migration to New Zealand surged after the country lowered COVID restrictions in 2022, allowing foreign workers to move to the country to fill labor shortages, particularly in lower-skilled jobs and the education sector. Yet policymakers warned last year that the surge in migration could also be fanning inflation as new arrivals drove up rent and housing prices.

Tightening rules

Countries that have attracted migrants are now changing their rules owing to concerns over housing affordability, inflation, and increased competition for domestic jobs.

In December, Australia said it would increase English language requirements for student and graduate visa applications. Officials argued the move would halve the country’s migrant intake over the next two years.

Last month, Singapore imposed higher salary requirements for work visas, with manpower minister Tan See Leng citing the need for “a level-playing field for locals.” The change will go into effect next year. The tightened visa rules follow a March 2023 decision to raise the threshold for global investors seeking permanent residency in the city-state.