Eighty per cent of expats who have made the move to New Zealand are 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with their relocation, according to the latest research conducted by the Immigration Settlement Monitoring Programme.
The programme, which regularly monitors the experiences of new arrivals, found that for over 60 per cent of expats, New Zealand had exceeded their expectations, with nearly 40 per cent feeling that they were now safer from crime than they were in their previous home countries.
As a result around 70 per cent of recent migrants wanted to stay permanently in New Zealand and 89 per cent would recommend New Zealand to friends and family.
According to the survey's findings, expats in New Zealand are also able to access jobs with relative ease.
"Labour market participation for recent migrants is generally positive. Not only were seven out of 10 recent migrants in paid employment in 2011, over three quarters of employed migrants said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their main job and 72 per cent stated that their occupation matched their skills and qualifications," said head of Labour and Immigration Research, Vasantha Krishnan.
The top reason behind a move to New Zealand was to be closer to family members, a partner or friends followed by the relaxed pace of life, the environment and landscape and then the ability to get a good job.
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