Australia and New Zealand's trade relationship bolstered at CER Ministerial Meeting

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Created on Friday, 29 November 2013 16:22

Written by Editorial staff

Wednesday, November 27, Andrew Robb and Tim Groser - Trade and Investment Ministers for Australia and New Zealand, respectively - met in Sydney at the Closer Economic Relations (CER) Ministerial Meeting.

The annual event provides the countries' leaders with an opportunity to discuss the trade relationship between Australia and New Zealand, as well as topics such as investment and immigration - all with a goal of extending and deepening our ties.

Australia and New Zealand have a long history of working together. Since the early 20th century, our countries have introduced policies to "facilitate a free flow of people" and make the process of applying for immigration visas as streamlined as possible.

As of June 2012, there were approximately 647,863 New Zealand citizens living and working in Australia, according to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP).

The majority of New Zealand citizens are eligible for the Special Category Visa (SCV). This is a temporary visa that enables you to live, work or study for as long as you want Down Under.

It does not, however, give you the same rights as people who have successfully gone through the Australian citizenship application process.