Budget reflects migrant priority

By IRENE CHAPPLE

The Immigration Service received a huge income boost in yesterday's Budget, but the cash came with demands for more vigilance over illegal immigrants and a responsibility to track down desirable ones.

The service is to receive a large increase on last year's overall income of just over $4 million.

In this financial year, $5.3 million will be spent on security, $7.6 million on recruiting new migrants and $5.7 million on a new computer system.

The recruitment cash was part of a $44 million budget for the next four years.

That is broken down into $32.98 million in operational spending over four years and capital funding of just over $11 million for the next two years.

The money will be used to match immigrants with skills and talents needed in New Zealand. The immigration service will be allowed to enter markets such as the United States to recruit suitable people.

Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel said she had already signalled the need for New Zealand to shift from being a "passive recipient" of migrants to actively targeting the skills and talents needed.

"The skilled/business stream of the New Zealand immigration programme is where we need new migrants to hit the ground running," she said.

"It is good for the new migrant and it is good for New Zealand."

However, migrants not recruited will be subject to greater scrutiny, and almost $20 million has been allocated towards tightening the immigration system over the next four years.

That cash will be used in four main areas:* Improving data gathering and trend and information analysis.

* Helping to pay for the investigation and prosecution of immigration fraud.

* Increasing the number of removals of failed refugee status claimants.

* Assisting in the humane detention of asylum seekers whose identity is in doubt.

A one-off capital injection of $580,000 will be spent this financial year, and $4.81 million of operational spending will be available for the next four years.

Dalziel said the measures were aimed at reducing illegal activity and putting such people off targeting New Zealand.

She said they would also enable liaison with other countries, so that New Zealand could take part in large-scale investigations.