‘If we could pass, we wouldn’t be driving buses’: Bus shortage looms as migrant drivers face residency hurdle

Thursday, 23 April 2026

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Bus drivers recruited from overseas to plug a national shortage could be forced to leave New Zealand within the next few years as visa deadlines approach, and many struggle to meet strict English-language requirements.

The country was in the grip of a significant driver shortage in 2022 and 2023, causing regular bus cancellations and suspensions, especially in major hubs like Auckland and Wellington.

In response, drivers were recruited locally and from overseas, pay rates were lifted, and immigration settings were adjusted. A Transport Work to Residence pathway was introduced, allowing bus drivers to apply for residency after two years in the role, provided they met the specific wage and English requirements.

Now as those drivers become eligible to apply, some are failing to meet the English threshold, and say they will leave when their visa extensions expire - prompting warnings the sector could soon face another shortage.

When Ryan De Guzman saw New Zealand was recruiting bus drivers, he leapt at the opportunity to provide a better life for his family and applied from the Philippines in 2023.

“I heard the climate is good and also the work-life balance is very nice here,” De Guzman told Stuff.

He went through an agency, was interviewed, and arrived in Auckland in March that year, planning to eventually apply for residency. He said he learned of the language requirement once already in the country, but had no idea how difficult it would be for him.

“The English requirement for the residency is too high,” De Guzman said. “I'm just only a high school graduate.”

To qualify for a skilled residence visa, applicants must score at least 6.5 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or exceed equivalent scores in other English language tests. The level is higher than that needed for international students to enter undergraduate study at University of Auckland.

De Guzman sat the Pearson Test of English (PTE), scoring 45 - below the required 58.

“It’s all academic,” he said. “I need to practise more, especially in grammar. But I am trying my best because I'm thinking about my future and my family.”

De Guzman left his daughter in the Philippines and sends money home to support her schooling. He said he was “hoping and praying” that drivers who failed the tests would still be given a chance at residency.

“Otherwise by 2028, most drivers will have gone back to their countries,” he said.

Max Santiago from Workers First Union said he knew of many drivers struggling to pass the tests.

“Just in one depot alone, there's 90 bus drivers and I think only five are confirmed to have passed.”

He said the test included academic components such as essay writing under time pressure, which many drivers found difficult despite being able to communicate effectively with passengers.

“It’s totally unreasonable for their profession,” Santiago said. “They tell me the reason they took up the job as bus drivers back in their countries of origin is precisely because they wouldn’t be able to go to college.”

Fiji-born driver Edvin Prasad tells a similar story.

He said he was interviewed in Fiji for the role in 2022 and told he could apply for residency after two years, finding out only after he had moved he would need to sit a language test.

He told Stuff he had tried and failed the test three times and was concerned he’d have to go back when his visa extension expires in December next year.

“We can't do 6.5 and if we [could], we would not be driving the buses,” Prasad said.

He said his family had made sacrifices to come to New Zealand including selling their $30,000 business to fund the move.

“I don't want to go back. I didn't come here just to go back to my country. Even my kids don't want to go, because they are settled here in school.”

Delaney Myers, chief executive of the Bus and Coach Association, said about 20% of the country’s public transport bus drivers were on temporary visas, many of whom were now approaching key visa deadlines in 2027 and 2028.

“We are concerned,” Myers said. “There’s a lot that can change in that period of time, but we think we would definitely struggle to fill those roles under the current circumstances.”

Kinetic New Zealand said it undertook international recruitment between December 2022 and September 2023.

Nicky Harrison, Kinetic director of people, culture and safety, said candidates were provided with information about visa conditions at the time of application, supported by qualified immigration advisers.

“The work-to-residence pathway for bus drivers was introduced by Immigration New Zealand in April 2023, after many candidates had already begun the recruitment process.”

Harrison said further information was provided once the pathway was established, including details about English language requirements, which are set by Immigration New Zealand.

An open letter from the Bus and Coach Association to Immigration Minister Erica Stanford called for the standard to be dropped to a score of 5.5.

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford did not provide a statement to Stuff, with her office instead pointing to comments she had made to other media.

Stanford has said she did not plan to change the English language requirement for residency, saying the standard had “not shifted for many years” and applied to all migrants.

She said bus drivers had time to meet the requirement, with visas lasting several years, and operators should look to recruit New Zealand workers to fill any gaps in the sector.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) said the IELTS 6.5 requirement had been in place for “many years” and was a consistent benchmark across skilled residence pathways.

Peter Elms, INZ director visa, said a higher English standard was required for residency than temporary visas because it reflected a long-term commitment to living in New Zealand.

He said employers or recruiters were responsible for ensuring workers were informed about requirements under the Transport Sector Agreement work-to-residence pathway when it was used to attract drivers.

As at April 22, 2026, a total of 295 residence applications from bus drivers had been approved under the Transport Work to Residence category, with a further 30 applications still in progress, Immigration New Zealand said.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly said bus drivers were added to the Immigration “Green List”. Bus drivers are not on the Green List.

(Amended: April 24, 2026, 12.49pm)

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