Visa rules changed to protect New Zealand workers in earthquake rebuild

People walk through a street partly covered with rubble after an earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Pu Rui)

The New Zealand government announced Monday it was changing the country's visa rules to ensure New Zealanders were first in line for jobs in the reconstruction of the earthquake-battered Canterbury region.

Immigration Minister Nathan Guy said a new rule meant visa applications to fill most jobs in Canterbury would only be processed when a check had been done to ensure no New Zealanders were available to fill the vacancy.

"The rule also benefits employers because it streamlines the visa process. Employers will know sooner if a visa application for a migrant worker is likely to succeed," Guy said in a statement.

From Monday, employers had to register vacancies for trades, clerical and manual occupations in Canterbury with the Canterbury Skills and Employment Hub before they supported a visa application for a migrant to fill the vacancy.

The rule change affected most jobs in Canterbury, including trades, clerical and manual jobs, but not highly skilled occupations.

Opposition parties have been raising concerns that big companies involved in the rebuild are bringing their own workers into New Zealand at a time of rising national unemployment, which is sitting at 7.3 percent.

Earlier this month the New Zealand First party highlighted an Australian company that was advertising in Australia for 80 construction carpenters to work on a major project in New Zealand.