New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters has criticized his own coalition government for allegedly modifying immigration rules connected to the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, suggesting that these changes impose stricter entry norms on Indian citizens compared to those from other FTA partner countries.
The India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement has faced criticism from Peters, who argues that it is not beneficial for Kiwis. Now, when the immigration rules for Indians are likely to be modified, Peters is asking, “Why just for India? Why not now put immigration restrictions across all FTA partners and immigration?”
Peters says New Zealand-India relations are a “major worry” for him, following The Post’s confirmation that the government has decided to tighten immigration rules under the new free-trade agreement.
In a post on X, Peters said, “For six months, we have been warning that the India-New Zealand FTA would, under current policy settings, mean open slather immigration from India to New Zealand.
We have recently discovered that there has been an abrupt change of course, with changes being made to immigration settings which target Indians and Indians alone.”
The FTA Deal for Indian Workers
The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and New Zealand made way for a dedicated quota of Temporary Employment Entry visas for 5,000 professionals and 1,000 Work and Holiday Visas. The FTA opened Skilled Employment Pathways through a new Temporary Employment Entry Visa pathway for Indian professionals in skilled occupations, with a quota of 5,000 visas at any given time and a stay of up to three years.
This pathway is to cover Indian professions such as AYUSH practitioners, yoga instructors, Indian chefs, and music teachers, as well as high-demand sectors including IT, engineering, healthcare, education, and construction, strengthening workforce mobility and services trade.
The India-New Zealand FTA also offers post-study work visas and professional pathways in New Zealand, with no numerical caps, to Indian students. Students can convert their studying experience into post-study work rights of up to 3 years for STEM Bachelor’s and Master’s graduates and up to 4 years for Doctoral scholars.
“New Zealand’s labour market has well-documented shortages across sectors such as IT, healthcare, engineering, construction, and education, which Indian professionals are well-positioned to fill. For early- to mid-career professionals, this creates a pathway for international exposure, skill enhancement, and global career mobility. Importantly, this is not a mass migration channel but a curated mobility framework that prioritizes skills, employability, and alignment with sectoral demand,” says Mayank Maheshwari, Co-Founder & COO, University Living.
Allegations of Discrimination
Peters, in his X post, criticizes the potential discrimination against Indian workers compared to foreign workers from other countries.
“The Indian Government has the right to know about the National’s intention to treat Indian citizens in a discriminatory manner relative to citizens of other FTA partners, such as China, Thailand, or South Korea.
New Zealand First would have preferred that the India FTA not include any migration concessions whatsoever. But if the Government has negotiated such commitments, it is only fitting and proper that it be transparent with India about how it intends to apply them – and in what respects it intends to treat Indians worse than Chinese, Thais, Koreans and nationals from other New Zealand FTA partners,” writes Peters.
Five Areas of Concern
Peters goes on to highlight at least four major areas where Indians are likely to get discriminatory treatment, approved by the Minister of Immigration:
Imposing on Indian citizens a labour market/economic needs test that doesn’t apply to citizens of other relevant FTA partners;
Precluding Indian citizens from applying for a temporary employment entry visa from within New Zealand, an option available to citizens of other relevant FTA partners;
Treating Indian citizens worse than the citizens of other relevant FTA partners when it comes to their partners and children; and
Precluding Indian citizens from counting work experience on a temporary employment entry visa towards residency requirements, a right extended to citizens of other relevant FTA partners.
Peters’ Wider Immigration Concerns
In another X post, the next day, Peters makes it clearer as to why he is against the FTA that leads to more immigrants entering the country, leaving Kiwis without jobs.
“We said that the “5000 work visa holders” was never the case. It was always going to mean “20,000+ more immigrants” as default immigration settings enable them to bring in families. That’s not even including the guaranteed work rights for the uncapped students. That means it will be even harder for Kiwis to find jobs.
Our stance has always been that there should be no immigration as part of any FTA. That remains the case. And in fact, there should be more restrictions on New Zealand’s immigration settings to ensure we put kiwis first,” wrote Peters.
Disclaimer: This article is based on statements made by New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters on the social media platform X and does not reflect the official position of the New Zealand government or the Indian government. Readers should refer to official government sources for the latest updates on India-New Zealand FTA immigration provisions.