New Zealand has few jobs, Filipino nurses told

(UPDATES)THE Philippine Embassy in Wellington has advised all Filipino nurses looking for jobs in New Zealand to exercise great caution before traveling to the country because there is a lack of employment opportunities for foreign nurses in the country. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday said that the embassy had reported that certain individuals and agencies offer to facilitate the hiring of foreign nurses by arranging for them to travel to New Zealand on a visitor visa to take the Comprehensive Assessment Program (CAP) or Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for nurses and subsequently apply for registration by the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ) The embassy said that while taking the CAP or OSCE and being registered by the NCNZ is a legitimate means for foreign nurses or Internationally Qualified Nurses (IQNs) to be able to practice nursing in New Zealand, it is not a guarantee of employment. The employment of IQNs in New Zealand is dependent on various factors outside the CAP, OSCE and NCNZ, including local demand and the ability of employers in the New Zealand Health Sector to hire IQNs. The embassy has received information that, due to the current lack of employment opportunities, IQNs who came to New Zealand on visitor visas have no option but to leave the country upon the expiry of their visas. The embassy encouraged Filipino nurses to ensure that there is ready employment for them before leaving the Philippines, which includes obtaining a legitimate job offer with a verified contract from an accredited employer and a proper working visa issued by Immigration New Zealand.