New Zealand opens residency program for workforce, refugees
September 5, 2022, 1:00 pm

New Zealand opens residency program for workforce, refugees

Syrian mother and her child-Syrian refugees/Facebook page

New Zealand opened its residency program for workforce and refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq, an official said on Monday (Sep 5).

Announcing the plan, Immigration Minister Michael Wood said eligible skilled migrants with a job or a job offer in specific roles on the Straight to Residence pathway will be able to apply for residence, both from onshore and overseas from today.

Wood said: “The Straight to Residence pathway provides an incentive for migrants who have skills in hard-to-fill, nationally significant roles that New Zealand needs to speed up our economic growth."

“This new pathway offers potential migrants, like health practitioners, engineers, construction and infrastructure workers, and IT professionals more certainty," he said, adding this will help employers to hire people and address the shortages.

Under the Refugee Quota Program, New Zealand will also resettle 1,500 refugees each year for the next three years, the Anadolu Agency said.

New Zealand opened its residency program for workforce and refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq - Photo. Pixabay

“This year, the proportion of places allocated to three of the four regions is changing to ensure we are best responding to the resettlement needs of each region. For example, we have increased the proportion of places allocated to refugees in both the Middle East and Africa from 15 to 20%," said Wood.

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The country will grant residency to 200 Afghan refugees displaced after the Taliban took over control of Kabul last year.

According to the minister, refugees from Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan will also be resettled.

Source: aa

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”