Migration management and mobility pathways for Filipino migrants to New Zealand Wardlow Friesen School of Environment, The University of Auckland. Email: w.friesen@auckland.ac.nz Abstract: There has been an increasing focus on migration management by academics and policy makers, especially in relation to temporary and transitional forms of mobility. This paper considers the acceleration of Filipino migration to New Zealand in recent years, partly driven by changing policies allowing migrants to transition from student and work visas to permanent residence. It outlines the history of Filipino migration to New Zealand, the roles of the Philippines and New Zealand governments and intermediaries in migration management and the nature of student, temporary work and permanent residence migration. The transitional pathways used by Filipino migrants are analysed in relation to the influence of skills and educational characteristics in creating opportunities for some and vulnerability for others. Keywords: migrant transitions, migration management, migration policy, New Zealand, Philippines Introduction In recent years, academics and migration policy makers have increased their focus on migration management by governments and migration intermediaries, especially in relation to temporary and transitional forms of mobility (Geiger and Pécoud, 2010; Collyer and King, 2014). This paper considers the case of Filipino migration to New Zealand, which has accelerated considerably in the twenty-first century. The Philippines is one of the most significant sources of migrants globally, especially for those on temporary work permits, while New Zealand, a relatively small country, has one of the most proactive immigration policies of countries in the Global North. The role of government policy in both countries has been an important element in the fact that Filipinos are the most rapidly growing migrant population in New Zealand, with most of this growth occurring in the last 10 years. In many countries, migration management has become an increasingly important tool in matching migrant inflows with labour force demands, and this has resulted in both the acceleration of migrant numbers and the diversification of the types of visas and other mechanisms of control. This paper explores this phenomenon in the Philippines–New Zealand context in terms of the characteristics of different types of migrants, and the ways in which government policies in the sending and receiving countries have been instrumental in these changes, and their outcomes. It uses empirical data and other evidence to elaborate on the diversification of migrant types, increased fluidity of migration pathways and migrant vulnerabilities specific to these two countries and also to contribute to the theoretical debate around the nature and context of migration management globally. Global mobilities, migration management and migrant vulnerabilities The migration of Filipinos to New Zealand in recent years must be considered within the context of recent global mobility trends. Perhaps the most prominent of these is the acceleration of mobility in terms of the numbers of migrants moving between countries, and the diversification of migrant types and governmental policies which facilitate, regulate or inhibit these movements (Hugo, 2012). While accelerated global mobility has sometimes been lauded as part of a trajectory towards ‘migration without borders’ as an aspect of globalisation, the reality is much more complex. Nation states have typically had a central role in the movement of Asia Pacific Viewpoint 2017 ISSN 1360-7456 © 2017 Victoria University of Wellington and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd doi: 10.1111/apv.12168