Migration record continues

In the year ending February 2017, 71,300 more migrants arrived in New Zealand than left, according to Statistics New Zealand. This equals the previous annual record set in January. Migrant arrivals numbered 128,800 in the February 2017 year, while departures totalled 57,500. The visa type contributing the most to migrantion was work visas, up 11 per cent to 43,000. "About a third of all migrant arrivals for the year were people coming to New Zealand on work visas," population statistics senior manager Peter Dolan said. "Just over a quarter of all work-visa migrants were from the United Kingdom and France." Migrants from Europe were up 10.4 per cent to 30,411. Migrants from Asia, however, fell 6.4 per cent to 42,851. Migrants from Africa and the Middle East were up 51 per cent to 9020, partially fuelled by a doubling of South African migrants. The next largest visa type was New Zealand and Australian citizens, up 4.7 per cent to 38,100. Student visas, however, were down 15 per cent to 23,800. Residence visas rose 16.7 per cent to 16,000 for the year ending February 2017. Annual visitor numbers for the February 2017 year also equalled the previous January record, up 11 per cent to 3.54 million. Visitor numbers reached 380,000 in the February month, up two per cent from February 2016. "In February, strong increases in visitor numbers from the United States and Europe were behind the overall rise in visitor arrivals," Dolan said. "These more than offset the large drop in visitor numbers from China, which was likely due to Chinese New Year beginning in January this year, and in February in 2016."