Immigration Minister Minister Andrew Little. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
More than 6300 overseas health workers have joined the workforce a year on since the borders reopened, Immigration Minister Andrew Little says.
Little said the figure included 2500 nurses and more than 2300 workers in the aged care, disabled and personal care sectors.
They came into the workforce though the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme and the Green List Straight to Residence pathways.
Some were in New Zealand and had been approved for their first work visa. This would include nurses qualified overseas who were on visitor visa, and had since applied for a work visa after undertaking a competence assessment through the Nursing Council.
There were a further 800 people offshore who had been approved an Accredited Employer Work Visa, who were yet to make the move to New Zealand, Little said
The Green List was created in May 2022 with roles that provided a priority pathway to residence, either straight to residence or after two years working in New Zealand.
The government faced criticism for not initially putting nurses on the straight to residence category. They were added in December last year.
This year the government added 32 new health sector roles to the straight-to-residence pathway, taking effect from 29 May, to help prepare the health system for the coming winter.
The total of 48 health sector roles on straight to residence pathway includes enrolled nurses, nurse practitioners, dentists and dental technicians, MRI scanning technologists, paramedics, optometrists, pharmacists and counsellors.