Salient

New Zealand academics: “You suck Gordon Brown”

By Samuel Sachdeva | 24 Mar, 2008

New Zealand academics are disappointed with proposed moves by the British Government to restrict their access to visit and work in the UK, describing the plans as “unnecessarily bureaucratic [and] counter-productive”.

The British Government recently finished consultation on a widespread range of proposals regarding immigration, aimed at placing greater controls on the increasing number of people visiting and working in the UK. One of the possible changes being discussed is a reduction in the time that New Zealand academics and film-makers can spend visa-free in the UK, down from 12 months to three months.

New Zealand academics have condemned the proposals, claiming that they will pointlessly restrict access to a group of New Zealanders who are unlikely to trouble British authorities. Associate Professor Maureen Montgomery, national president of the Association of University Staff, described the proposed changes as “unnecessarily bureaucratic [and] counter-productive”, saying that a restriction on the movement of NZ academics would “impede collaboration on internationally important research between New Zealand and British academics.” British universities could also be adversely affected by any restrictions, with Montgomery stating that up to 60% of new recruits at universities come from foreign countries.

New Zealand university students could also be impacted by a tightening of immigration rules: another proposed change includes abolishment of the ancestry visa, which allows New Zealand citizens with Britishborn grandparents to stay and work in the UK for up to four years and eventually apply for residency - something which has been helpful to students with British heritage visiting on their OE.

The New Zealand Government have signalled their strong opposition to any changes, with Helen Clark announcing that the Government had made a formal submission to Britain opposing the proposals, and that she was likely to discuss the matter with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown during a visit to the UK next month.