A report by a British think tank says the UK government should be doing more to encourage New Zealanders on their OE to stay longer.
The study, by the centre-left Institute for Public Policy Research, says the UK could benefit from New Zealanders' skills and suggests incentives to encourage them to stay.
It says immigrants from Commonwealth countries often come to the UK for a short period, and then later leave.
The report, titled 'Shall We Stay or Shall We Go?', says the UK, like many developed countries, is in a competition for highly skilled workers, and more should be done to retain New Zealanders on their OE.
The head of migration research at the institute, Tim Finch, says New Zealanders in Britain were often not working in the profession they were trained for and the British government was making no real attempt to see whether they might stay.
Mr Finch says the new points-based system for entering the UK has discouraged some New Zealanders from staying.
He says the work permit system for Commonwealth countries such as New Zealand, Australia and Canda should be simplified.
