Dialogue: Devaluing migrants' skills helps no one

PASCAL BROWN and DAVID COOKE* say that merely setting
a new immigration target is not enough. More must be done for migrants when they arrive here.

Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel has announced a new target of 27,000 immigrants a year, up 10,000 from previous years. This may well be a positive move. But how could it be of more benefit for both the migrants and New Zealand?

Immigration is a tradeoff for the host country and the newcomers. For the host country, it is a way to maintain population while increasing social and economic wealth. As Lianne Dalziel said: "We've got to make sure we get the right people to help us continue economic growth."

So richer countries open the doors to certain kinds of labour, background and wealth to suit their own interests.

Apart from the tiny category of humanitarian and refugee migrants, immigration is designed mostly to benefit the host country - us. That is what New Zealand has done in the past decade, turning to South-east Asia in particular to invite in well-educated and often higher-income immigrants.

For the migrant, it is the chance to build a better life for his or her generation and the ones to follow, to escape oppression, to seek new opportunities, or to live in an environment that is attractive - physically, socially or economically.

But there are risks and difficulties on both sides. The host country may or may not welcome the new migrants. Society may feel threatened by their presence. New migrants may take time to settle, or suffer if their qualifications are not recognised or employers turn them away.

The migrants often have to go through a painful process of disentangling from a familiar culture. They may face a populace that is indifferent, dismissive or hostile. And they have to become familiar with English, the local culture, the education system and more.

From the comfort of our living rooms, this may seem fairly easy, but emigrating takes a fair bit of courage and involves some harsh realities.

One skilled worker, asked about picking up on his accountancy career in New Zealand, showed how his horizons had shrunk. "Sorry, I never think of any kind of job ... to learn English is my job now."

What if we tried putting ourselves in the position of the migrant. Imagine uprooting the family to live for the rest of our lives in Beijing, Mogadishu or Ankara. What would we want to see in place by the time we arrived if we had to speak, read and write Mandarin, Somali or Turkish sufficiently well to find a job and settle in?

For both parties to benefit we would want some help or support with learning the language and adjusting to the culture, finding housing, getting recognition for our education and experience, finding work and maintaining our own values and culture.

If all this happened we might be able, with a bit of luck, to ease into the new life relatively smoothly and start contributing to the host country reasonably soon.

But if these things did not happen, we might very well end up disadvantaged, unemployed, isolated and marginalised. When this happens to New Zealand immigrants, their dream collapses and our goal of capitalising on their skills risks being thwarted.

On a purely personal level, the migrant's life can be lonely. As one migrant says: "It's hard to mix with other people because it's different cultures between our people and English people, so I try my best, but you know it's hard to find a close friend."

Unfortunately, many migrants are led to believe that in New Zealand, they will find jobs in their skilled area and they will be helped to learn English and function in the new country.

Migrants say they had fully expected New Zealand would value their qualifications and experience because the immigration points system puts a lot of weight on qualifications and experience.

But when migrants reach here, it turns out that not only is English an obstacle, but some have to go through strenuous examinations to re-enter their profession. Then they may have to retrain, and at the end of it all find employers or professional bodies still do not accept them as equals. And they may still not get a job.

The Government has announced a ministerial advisory group on immigration and settlement policy. Here are some crucial factors it might consider.

First, a comprehensive resettlement policy for new migrants.

This could include six months of free English training, but also a one-stop shop for addressing areas such as health, accommodation, employment and education.

Second, a policy supporting intercultural exchange within the country to create understanding and positive dialogue between established New Zealanders and new migrants.

Third, a proactive public education programme to promote awareness and respect for the emerging multicultural makeup of New Zealand.

For too long, New Zealand has been attracting migrants from different cultures without preparing the population to better understand the skills and knowledge that they bring.

* Pascal Brown and David Cooke are senior lecturers in Unitec's School of English and Applied Linguistics.