NZ won't cap migrant work force

New Zealand will not follow Britain in limiting the number of migrant workers coming into the country, says Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman.

The British Government is expected to impose a temporary limit today on the number of migrant workers from outside the European Union, before a planned permanent cap.

Dr Coleman said skilled migrants brought skills New Zealand needed to grow the economy and the country could not afford to block people with skills "we are permanently short of".

"We've always matched our temporary permits to the demands of certain occupation, and the system has always worked well for New Zealand and is constantly being reviewed," he said.

Dr Coleman said he had not been briefed on the details of the British changes and could not comment on how the migration cap could affect New Zealanders wanting to move to or work in the UK.

The British move comes days before asylum-seekers are due to bring an unprecedented legal case against the Government, claiming it forced Britain's largest network of refugee lawyers into administration by starving it of cash.

British Home Secretary Theresa May will limit the number of workers to 24,100 - down about 5 per cent - between now and next April.

Pressure groups campaigning for greater controls on immigration have welcomed the motion as a good start. But some ministers are believed to oppose the move, while think-tanks and trade groups claim it would bar talented foreign workers from the UK labour market.

Meanwhile, the Government's immigration policy will be tested by a High Court case on Wednesday.

- Additional reporting: Independent