Survey background
The target population for the 2021 and 2022 Migrant Surveys was migrants who met the following criteria at the date of sample selection.
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- Were aged 18 years or over and onshore in New Zealand
- Their current visa was approved under the Skilled/Business Stream (Principal and Secondary applicants), a Family category (Family Partnership and Family Parent) or a Work Stream (Essential Skills, Family, Post-study Work, Work to Residence, Working Holiday Scheme and Other)
- Excluding the Work visa sub-streams of ‘Crew’, ‘Group Visa’, ‘IPT Order’, ‘Section 61’, and ‘Work - RSE’. The survey also excludes international students.
- Had spent at least 6 months and no more than 5 years in total in New Zealand on a resident, work, or student visa prior to the sample selection date
- Had spent at least 50% of their total elapsed time in New Zealand since their first arrival on a resident, work, or student visa prior to the sample selection date
In 2021, the target population for the survey was broadened and the sample size increased to better reflect the changing mix of migrants onshore, and meet the expanding information needs of stakeholders (including the survey increasingly being used to inform MBIE’s temporary migrant worker exploitation programme).
Addressing temporary migrant worker exploitation
Accordingly, the sample for the 2021 survey onwards includes:
- a greater proportion of temporary migrants
- a wider respondent eligibility time frame, for example, migrants who had spent at least 6 months and no more than 5 years in total in New Zealand.
- Prior to the 2021 survey, migrants eligible for the survey were those on work visas who arrived in New Zealand at least 6 months but no more than 12 months prior to selection and those on resident visas who arrived in New Zealand at least 12 months but no more than 18 months prior to selection.
- the Pacific Access Category and the Samoan Quota groups (although these groups were not included in the 2022 survey)
- The 2022 survey did not include migrants in the Pacific Access or Samoan Quota categories due to insufficient numbers for sampling after the pausing of these pathways during COVID-19 border closures. For consistency in reporting between the 2 years, the PAC and SQ migrants included in the 2021 survey were not included in the analysis for this report.
Prior to 2021, MBIE’s reporting from the Migrant Survey showed changes and trends across several years of survey results. Due to the expanded sample frame for the survey from 2021, this report examines the 2021 and 2022 survey results only.
The survey was completed by 5,015 migrants in 2021, and 5,594 in 2022. The survey data is weighted each year to reflect New Zealand’s recent migrant population by visa stream and by country of nationality. In 2022, 54% of those selected to take part in the survey were resident visa holders while in 2021 only 39% were on a resident visa. In the future, it is expected that there will be a higher share of residents in the eligible survey population than in 2021. However, it is not expected that there will be a large 1-off shift again like the change that occurred in the 2022 population.
In both survey years, the weighted proportion of migrants working for wages or a salary was 86%. This report only presents weighted results from the survey for recent migrants who were working as employees (referred to in this report as migrant employees/migrant workers). In both survey years, the weighted proportion of migrants working for wages or a salary was 86%. This report only presents weighted results from the survey for recent migrants who were working as employees (referred to in this report as migrant employees/migrant workers).
The commentary in this report focuses on statistically significant differences in the survey results for sub-groups. Caution should be applied when using the data tables in the appendix to compare between other sub-groups or between years, as any differences that are not noted in the text are unlikely to be statistically significant.