Photo: 123RF
The straight-to-residency visa for nurses has so far failed to be the big boost nurses here had hoped for.
The vast majority of those who have been given one were already working here.
Only 19 nurses from outside the country were granted the visa from the time it started in mid-December until the end of February.
Immigration New Zealand said there were 162 given in total but 139 of those nurses were working here under different visas, such as the accredited employer or special skills visa.
The other four were in the country but not working.
The Nurses Organisation pushed hard to get nurses onto the straight-to-residency list of professions, after they were initially left off.
Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said it was disappointing so few had been recruited but that the government had moved too late to put them on the list.
In that time, the international job market had got more competitive and international nurses were choosing to go elsewhere, she said.
While the number getting the visa may increase steadily over time, it was unlikely to happen right away, she said.
"New Zealand at the moment, the working conditions are not attractive for nurses."
Many nurses, even those here, were choosing to go to Australia instead and work needed to be done to improve conditions here.
Attracting school leavers here to the profession was also key, she said.
Even though most of those granted the fast-track visa were already working here, there was some value in that because it gave them certainty that they could stay, she said.
A spokesperson for the Immigration Minister said the government never expected the straight-to-residence visa to be a silver bullet, but it did help to make New Zealand a more attractive place to move long-term.
The immigration statistics did not paint a full picture of the nurses coming into the country because some arrive on visitor visas to complete a competency course that allowed them to apply for a work visa, they said.
Any application after that would be counted as an onshore application.