This petition is for all people that live in New Zealand to be able to apply for residence.

I was born in Argentina and I am currently living in New Zealand. I really like being here because it's safe, because everyone treats everyone the same and that they make you feel like you were born here.

I am writing this because I know that many people including me and my family want to apply for residence and still can't, because since the first lockdown the application for the residence is closed due to COVID-19.

I understand that the application for residency is closed because otherwise people from other countries could apply for it and come live here but my petition is for people who are already living in New Zealand to be able to apply for residency.

Permanent residency is really important for a country because it means that you have been living there for more than a year and it also means that you can stay there indefinitely.

There are many people in New Zealand who currently hold work visas and want to apply for permanent residency to be able to stay here who would be a great asset for this country.

At the moment the majority of people can't apply for residence, which means they have to go back from where they came from, like countries where millions of people have died because of the coronavirus, countries where there is a lot of poverty, some that are going through wars and countries where they don't get the same opportunities as they do here.

My parents have been trying to apply for permanent residence for over a year. We still can't get it and we are really worried about it. They are on a 3 year visa and if the conditions don't change, we will have to go back to Argentina.

Another example for this is the case of Ann Solomon, a doctor from England who came with her children. Her children want to start working here but they are not allowed until Ann gets her residency. 

New Zealand needs more doctors and in this case would benefit from people like Ann if they were allowed to stay.

Additionally, this country currently has a shortage for professionals in several industries, so on a general note it would be beneficial if skilled people were given the option to apply for permanent residency.

These are just some examples, but there are thousands of people that have the same problem and they really would like to apply for residence.

Imagine if everyone who doesn't have a residency left New Zealand. How would New Zealand be impacted? There would be many jobs with no employees.

Do we want to let people leave this country, people who can work, people who want to have a family, people who can support New Zealand's workforce generally?

Yours sincerely