According to the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE), 14,238 people arrived on work visas in July, down from 16,878 in June and 17,319 in May. That may signal the rapid growth in the number of overseas workers coming to NZ that occurred since pandemic border restrictions were eased, is starting to slow. The MBIE figures show there were a total of 149,220 people in NZ on work visas at the end of July this year. There was also a sharp jump in the number of overseas students coming to NZ, with 12,438 arrivals on student visas in July. That suggests overseas student arrivals are returning to the seasonal pattern evident pre-pandemic, when January, February and July were the main months for student visa arrivals.
