I came here from the US to study computer science, got an internship and later permanent job as a software developer at the end of my second year, and I've since graduated and I'm now working full-time at the same employer. What would you say to someone in my situation? I have a pathway to skilled migrant residency and my EOI was selected from the pool last Wednesday.

People do come here to study, with the hopes of being able to find skilled employment and remain in NZ. I have no intentions whatsoever of jumping over to Australia​; I love it here in Wellington!

I think it's worth allowing at least having the opportunity to pursue eventual residency after a person has invested so much time and money into the country. The post-study visas are also only available to students that have completed bachelor or post-graduate studies, so they shouldn't be particularly ripe for abuse.

There are some seemingly easier backdoors to residency to exploit for lower qualifications, but I absolutely do believe that degrees from reputable universities should open doors.

Maybe we're on the same page even. After all, this comment thread did bring up the point of "visa mills". Far too often have I seen people argue to make it unduly difficult to migrate here, though, even with a degree and skillset that are in high demand.