KEY POINTS:
Radio presenter and Weekend Herald juror Chang Hung is facing an uncertain future after immigration officials deemed his job unskilled.
Hung, a Fijian citizen, made his second bid for New Zealand residency last month, to be told by Immigration New Zealand that his job did not require any special skill and did not contribute to the country's future growth and skill base.
But his employer, The Edge radio station, disagrees. As does a leading immigration lawyer, who is working on the 24-year-old's case for free.
"I think what he does is highly skilled and highly unique," said The Edge programme director Leon Wratt, "He's a personality.
"He hasn't got qualifications but he's learned on the job, which I think is probably worth a lot more," Mr Wratt said.
Hung has worked for the station since 2002 and was named Best New Broadcaster at the 2005 New Zealand Radio Awards.
Two years ago, he applied for residency with his family. While his parents and two brothers were granted it, he was rejected as he was no longer dependent on his parents.
Ironically, Hung would be eligible for residency if he lived overseas but is not eligible for family support because he already resides in New Zealand.
"It just doesn't make sense," said a frustrated Hung. "They've got so many applications to go through, they just look at things in black and white.
"There's certain boxes they have to tick, and radio personnel, TV personnel and radio producer are not any of the boxes that they have under their criteria."
Department of Labour service delivery operations support manager Simon Smith said he could not talk about the case directly but confirmed that radio producers did not fall under the skilled migrant category.
"The department has had no feedback from the industry to suggest that New Zealand has a shortage of radio and television presenters," he said.
Hung came to New Zealand in 2002 to study medicine at the University of Auckland.
Responding to a job advertisement with Student Job Search, he was offered a part-time job at The Edge, where he was given a crash course in broadcasting.
"His first day on The Edge [involved] being tied to a pole in his underpants," Mr Wratt said.
"He's learned a lot since then. He knows how to use technical equipment and he knows how to do a broadcast."
The Department of Labour has given Hung one month to prove his job is a skilled occupation.
They also said they were happy to renew his work permit.
But Hung is sick of jumping through the immigration service's hoops.
"That would be my third work permit. It just keeps dragging on.
"It costs about $250, plus other fees and you have to go to the immigration office every time and wait for ever."
