New Zealand tightens visa rules after migration hits ‘unsustainable’ levels

New Zealand immigration minister Erica Stanford said the system would be changed to tighten visa rules. Photograph: Ben Mckay/AAP

New Zealand will tighten its visa rules for some migrants as the coalition government moves to overhaul the immigration system it says has led to “unsustainable” levels of migration.

Last year, annual net migration to New Zealand hit a near record high of more than 173,000 non-New Zealand citizens in the year to December, Stats NZ reported.