WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) " New Zealand announced Wednesday that it is introducing tougher requirements for skilled overseas workers as it tries to control immigration numbers that have reached an all-time high. The changes come a day after Australia said it would scrap a temporary visa for skilled overseas workers and after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order he said should help American workers whose jobs are threatened by skilled immigrants. New Zealand's Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse said in a speech that the government was unapologetic that industries relying on overseas workers are finding it harder to recruit people from abroad. To qualify as skilled, immigrants will need to get a job in which they earn at least the median income. To qualify as highly skilled, they will need to earn at least 150 percent of the median income.

Source: New Zealand Herald April 19, 2017 06:56 UTC