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Changes announced by government to the Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa will further disadvantage exploited migrant workers in Aotearoa, according to Citizens Advice Bureau NZ.

Currently, these workers can apply for the six-month exploitation visa with the ability to seek a six-month extension. Now the Government has announced as of October 31 this year, people on this visa will no longer be able to apply for an extension.

“We know this change is going to hurt exploited migrant workers”, said CAB NZ national policy advisor Louise May.

“People in Aotearoa on temporary work visas regularly use our service, and we have experience in helping people access the exploitation visa to leave abusive employment situations. Six months is often not enough time for these workers after leaving situations like that,” said May.

 “It is now typically taking months for a visa change to come through and it can also take months for a migrant worker to find new employment. Our clients often need the six-month extension to get things sorted and back on their feet.”

May said the prospect of having to leave the country before having the chance to find further work will add to the considerable stress many migrant workers are feeling. “If the Government wants to help migrant workers and prevent their exploitation, they need to untie people’s work visas from individual employers, provide financial and practical support to exploited migrant workers when they need to leave an abusive employment situation, and allow these workers enough time to get things sorted after experiencing exploitation”.