By Lincoln TanWould-be immigrants from China will be most affected by changes to the parent category, an immigration expert says. Last year 5739 were granted residency under the parent category, which had ranged from 4401 to 6364 over the last 10 years. China is the largest source country for family-sponsored migrants and made up 50 per cent of residence approvals in the parent category. Spoonley said he was concerned at the tougher English language standards required. "In the late 1990s, when we did something similar, Asian countries saw it the move to tighten English language requirements as exclusionary."

Source: New Zealand Herald October 11, 2016 04:52 UTC