Migrants who were told their job was skilled and put them onto a path to residency are being warned that may no longer be the case.

Immigration New Zealand is using two classification systems to decide whether jobs should be classed as skilled - which affects which visas they can get.

An immigration adviser said New Zealand was at risk of getting a reputation for 'scamming people with false promises'.

Filipino Aaron Pasion has worked as a swim school teacher in Auckland for three years, and was due to extend his visa when he found out he would instead have to leave.

He is married and his five-year-old son Andreus had been about to start school here. His swim school and parents of the youngsters he teaches have rallied around, but no options were left.

The family will move to Australia by the end of the month.

"We were so, so disappointed to hear it because he is just genuinely exceptional," said parent Nicole Pryor.

"He's singing, he's joking. Like you can hear him when you walk into the swimming facility. He's larger than life, he's amazing with the kids. And no matter who he's dealing with really, like whether it's a six-month-old, a new dad, a grandparent, a ten-year-old, he's just incredible with everybody.

"To be teaching such a range of ages and skill levels these vital skills, what it feels like to fall into a pool, putting your face under the water for the first time, kicking, moving your arms. They are critical skills. And in a country like New Zealand, where we really do need that for the safety of our kids, it just seems wild to me that they're not considered really important technical skills."

Pryor said migrants like Pasion were a 'treasure' and will be a loss to New Zealand.

"It really sort of demonstrated to me how there must be so many folks who make such a significant contribution to our communities who would be facing similar situations. And it's quite distressing thinking about them, the upheaval of their families and their children."

Pasion is not alone, with industry saying professionals such as office, shop and restaurant managers welcomed as skilled under temporary visas were now being shown the exit door.

He would like the government to offer more consistency in its visa rules, so migrants can plan their futures.

"When I got here to New Zealand, the swimming instructors were in skill level three [skilled] and we understood that we can extend our visa here, we have a pathway to residency," he said. "We teach important life skills. So yes, I definitely think that it should be considered as a skilled profession."

He would also like immigration to try to assess the contribution a migrant makes to their community.

"The management from my company, from my swim school has been doing their best since the beginning of 2025 just to check for options. And then during that time, we were just hopeful.

"The parents and those people who knew us, like their love and support were overwhelming. We love your country. We love the people. We love everything. We love the promise of the future for me and my family. Our boy has already adapted and then he's supposed to start big school this year. That's why it's so hard."

Defining 'skilled'

Immigration adviser Tobias Tohill believes there is a 'storm brewing' among people who got three-to-five year temporary visas when their roles were classed as skilled - only to find out later they no longer are, or cannot qualify them for skilled migrant residence (SMC) visas later.

Other changes to SMC are due to arrive later this year, but the industry was in the dark about what that would look like, he said.

"The employer think they've got a key person in the business. The person applies for residence after three years and then gets it declined," said Tohill.

"Then that person's like, 'this job can't get me residence, I'm off' and they lose that key person. So it's a loss for the businesses as well. So it's actually kind of counterproductive in economic terms in my view.

"Change is too slow, and for many migrants this constant tinkering with policy settings is going to lead to a lot of disappointment, and awkward endings. After years of graft, it seems likely that many will find they do not meet residence requirements and cannot stay longer."

Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Kristy Phillips said the two classifications - the National Occupation List (NOL) and Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) - were causing difficulties, but stopped short of describing the situation as a broken promise.

"The National Occupation List, that integration, that's quite a significant change. And as I understand it, Immigration New Zealand is rolling that out gradually. So I think that's where some of that discrepancy and disparity is coming in between those skill levels being recognised on the National Occupations List versus the ANZSCO list that we've been traditionally using and where the skilled migrant category visa is still using those qualifications."

The wider issue for hospitality was retaining staff while increasing the domestic workforce, she said, but changes to the skill level classification was also affecting people since November.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) said its system was primarily based on ANZSCO, and will be after SMC changes are introduced in August.

"In October 2024, it was announced by Stats NZ that ANZSCO would be replaced by the National Occupation List. To ensure a smooth transition, INZ is introducing the NOL in stages and will keep migrants, employers, and immigration professionals informed as it is implemented.

"We recognise the complexities of using two classification systems throughout this transition period. We are committed to providing clear, timely information to ensure migrants, employers, and immigration professionals have certainty and understand their visa options and respective visa requirements during this time."