Golden visa holders should face same English standard as migrant bus drivers: Greens
Tuesday, 28 April 2026
Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March says wealthy golden visa applicants should face the same English language requirements as migrant bus drivers, who risk being forced out of the country if they fail to meet the strict standard required for their visas.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party committed to looking at the issue before the election, with Labour immigration spokesperson Phil Twyford calling the requirements “illogical”, “discriminatory” and “impractical”.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said it had been a long-standing agreement that a certain level of English was required for any migrant who wanted to come to New Zealand.
But for those who hold the Active Investor Plus visa ‒ or the “golden visa” ‒ English fluency is not a requirement.
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Speaking in the House last Thursday, Stanford argued many golden visa holders would not spend much time in New Zealand.
“They are global people with huge access to capital, knowledge, and skills, and they are bringing immense benefit to New Zealanders.”
Migrant bus drivers were brought from overseas in 2022 and 2023 to fill an acute gap in the workforce which left people waiting hours for public transport and travelling on overcrowded buses.
To attain a skilled migrant visa, applicants must score at least 6.5 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to qualify, 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.
About 20% of the bus driver workforce, or 1000 drivers, are on a temporary visa. Drivers will be required to sit the test in 2027.
Stanford said the standard had been set for many years across successive governments, and each visa category had its own standard.
Business Investor Visa holders are required to attain a 5.0 level, while partners of New Zealanders, Active Investor Visa holders and refugees do not have an English language requirement.
She said skilled migrant visa applicants had a clear and practicable pathway through the Transport Work to Residence Visa ‒ requiring two years of work before applying for residency.
Stanford said bus companies were not facing recruitment issues and were receiving more applications than they had vacancies for from New Zealand residents and citizens.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said he would look carefully at lowering standards for bus drivers and applying similar requirements for golden visa holders.
But with no immigration policy yet announced the Labour Party could make no promises on changing the rules.
“We're still waiting to see the evidence from the Government about whether [Active Investor Plus] visas [are] resulting in increased investment in New Zealand or simply people parking money here temporarily in order to get residency.”
Menéndez March said it was a “double standard” that golden visa applicants did not have to sit an English language test to potentially settle while migrant bus drivers had their whole livelihoods on the line due to the requirement.
“There’s one rule for the rich and another rule for everybody else,” he said.
“She [Stanford] does not care whether [golden visa holders] settle into the country or otherwise … and that they may not speak a single word of English.”
He said bus drivers needed realistic pathways to residency to keep services running, especially during a fuel crisis where reliable public transport was more important than ever.
He said feedback from bus drivers was the English test did not meet the realities of the job, and said he had even heard from local bus drivers who felt they could not met the requirements.
Twyford said the requirements were “illogical”, “discriminatory” and “impractical” ‒ far in excess of what was needed to settle successfully as a migrant.
“It is punishing the drivers who keep our public transport running and our freight trucks on the road, and who came here to help when we had acute labour shortages after Covid-19.”
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said migrant bus drivers would be sitting the English test both this year and in 2027. That has been updated to reflect they are only sitting the test in 2027. (Amended April 29, 2026 at 3.25pm)