Pacific migrants urge stronger settlement support as NZ, Australia revise parent visa

Pacific community groups are pressing the governments of New Zealand and Australia to improve settlement assistance as they consider changes to the parent‑category resident visa. The visa, which allows migrants to bring parents to live permanently, currently allocates 2,500 places each year through a ballot system, leaving many families waiting for years. Pacific Settlement Support Services (PSSS) founder Mandy Siitia highlighted the need for pre‑migration preparation, noting that newcomers often arrive without basic information about daily life, such as driver‑licence conversion or child‑car‑seat requirements. Siitia stressed that Pacific migrants should be seen as skilled contributors rather than welfare recipients. PSSS is now running pre‑migration workshops in Tonga to help prospective migrants understand cultural and practical adjustments before departure.