The report has outlined that there is failure on behalf of the government, and the required institutions of the government, to provide suitable and efficient policy to provide consistent and reliable immigration advice and procedure. Due to this failure, there have been various scathing media reports, which are a negative impact for New Zealand’s tourism industry, and growing demand for skilled labour. These inconsistencies resulted in the Auditor-General to undergo and publish two reports which investigate the recruitment process.[1] However it did not look at the way the system was to be improved, but rather the initial recruitment process. The report in regard to permit and visa decisions concluded that there was no intended misguidance by immigration officers and consultants, and the system in place had failed to inform them of proper procedure and states that the staff “need and deserve to be better supported by guidance, systems, and processes that are determined centrally, and open to local modification but only in clearly demarcated ways”.[2] There are 20 recommendations provided in the Auditor-General’s report, which focus on internal suggestions of change. This report looks at 3 broad ideas that could be implemented to secure this internal change in operations.
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There is limited academic information available about that change in Governmental agencies consultant training. This report has focused on ideas which look at developing the current system, work closer with cultures to understand needs better, and an adaptation of a training system seen in other industries, such as Tourism. These ideas have been graded on a scale of Low, Medium and High against their efficiency, equity and political viability in regard to New Zealand’s immigrant, government, and business sectors. In accordance to their scores on this, they are then placed on a cost-benefit analysis to further understand their outcome, and judged whether they produce a high benefit or low benefit in relation to a high or low cost.
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The introduction of new education resources, such as those used by the Tourism industry, where an education training in completed prior to entering the workforce in that field would ensure that general knowledge is acquired regarding the industry and how it operates. This is the basis on which independent immigration consultants operate, and would allow for consistency no only in New Zealand Immigration Services but also the independent consultants. However, just like the case of Tourism, these educational resources could be negotiated to be desired but not required, as NZIS would have to train employees further regarding their specific methods and upgrade policy information.
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An alternative includes a program where Immigration consultants are trained to work with different cultural groups. This would be incredibly beneficial for immigrants as it would not only take into account their particular cases but also their cultural understanding of the situation. This would in turn allow the Immigration Consultant to be able to facilitate the most relevant and resourceful information for that particular case. These sort of actions have been taken in regard to Children and Immigration, to be able to produce the most beneficial information, as can be seen in the USA and in many cases in New Zealand. However this could include high costs in the individualization and time consuming technique of cases.
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The last recommendation would be to keep the current training techniques and procedures used by New Zealand Immigration Services, however to further develop resources used, and to provide constant on the job training which would maximise policy knowledge and procedure. This would be cost effective, as it would take into consideration the current budget, and would just involve further implementation and development of the current training. This would be a useful implementation, as it has been recognised that the procedure used by New Zealand Immigration Service is not one of fault, it is the constant application which is required.
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Taking these ideas into consideration, as well as those presented through the grading system and the placement on the cost-benefit analysis the most suitable recommendation for the present situation is to keep the current training techniques used by New Zealand Immigration Service. The condition includes ensuring the further development of current resources used, including on the job training, and implementation of Immigration Policy. This idea of developing the current ideas is also supported by the Auditor-General Report, which gives further guidance as to the actions which should be taken to ensure the procedure is properly followed through.[3] It is supported through the cost-benefit analysis, as it can be recognised as high benefit, low cost option.
Part 7 of 7
Conclusion
Part 5 of 7
Analysis
[1]Auditor-General Report “ Inquiry into immigration matters (Volume 1& 2)” 2009
http://www.oag.govt.nz/2009/immigration-volume-1 and http://www.oag.govt.nz/2009/immigration-volume-2/
[2] Auditor-General Report
http://www.oag.govt.nz/2009/immigration-volume-1
[3]Auditor-General Report “Recommendations”
http://www.oag.govt.nz/2009/immigration-volume-1/recommendations.htm