Dalziel happy to see language bar review

Former Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel regrets introducing tougher English language tests for some migrant categories, and would be happy for the move to be reviewed.

Immigration Minister Paul Swain thinks differently, however.

He said in written answers to parliamentary questions from National MP Pansy Wong that he had no plans to review the English language test in the business and investor categories.

It is the language bars for these groups that Ms Dalziel now says she may have been wrong to raise.

She sparked controversy with the November 2002 language test changes and accusations of racism from some who labelled them a response to anti-Asian sentiment generated by New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.

But Mrs Wong argues that the significant decline in the number of Asian migrants coming here, particularly in the business and investor category, is largely due to language test changes.

In the two years to December 2002 China and India provided the greatest number of migrants. Now, most interest for residency comes from Britain.

Ms Dalziel conceded her regret yesterday after Mrs Wong said she had apologised during an April interview with Chinese newspaper the New Zealand Messenger.

Ms Dalziel said she had not apologised "but I regretted not looking at an alternative to an IELTS [International English Language Testing System] standard for business migration".

The other option may have been not to raise the standard for those migrants. "It may have been sufficient to leave it at 4."

Before the changes, business and investor applicants had to score a 4 (limited English user) under IELTS.

Ms Dalziel raised that bar to 5 (modest English user), while skilled migrants had to pass a higher score.

It was important to emphasise the tougher tests were not the primary aspect of the 2002 changes, she said.

"There were huge problems with the rules ... the real problem with the [language] policy was that people could buy their way out of it altogether."

Pre-purchase agreements meant migrants could pay for English language tuition in advance to meet the language score, and there was no ensuing obligation to get the tuition.