Future NZ Immigration

22/11/2021

18/11/2021

INZ continue to provide more information on the one-off 2021 Resident Visa, which is an opportunity of a lifetime for many. However, not everyone’s case is the same and some applicants will not be eligible due to loss of job or change in circumstances. Applicants under the one-off 2021 Resident Visa will still need to meet health and character requirements for Residence.

The 29th of September 2021 is the crucial date used to determine an applicant’s eligibility to apply for the 2021 Resident visa in that:

 applicants must have been in NZ on the 29th of September 2021. (An exception to this rule; applicants who were in Australia on 29 September and had departed New Zealand for Australia between 06 April 2021 and 23 July 2021) AND
 on the 29th of September 2021 they must have held one of the eligible Work Visa listed at INZ's List of eligible Work Visas
 OR they have applied for an eligible visa on or before the 29th of September, and that visa is later granted.

Applicants holding a Post Study Work Visa who are not currently working can still be considered eligible to apply, provided they meet the ‘Settled’ criteria OR for those applicants who have not been in New Zealand for 3 years or more, they may be eligible under either the Skilled or Scarce category.

Short term visa holders not eligible to apply for the 2021 Resident Visa include: visitors, students (including PhD and masters students), working holiday makers, and seasonal workers such as those on the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme or those who enter New Zealand as short-term Critical Workers.

Critical Purpose Work Visa holders, with a visa granted for a longer term of 6 months or more and who held a visa as a critical health worker or other critical worker on 29 September 2021; or were granted a visa as a critical health worker or other critical worker after 29 September do not need to meet the Settled, Skilled or Scarce criteria. However, they must apply for the 2021 Resident Visa before the closing date of 31 July 2022.

Check if you are eligible; contact us for advice if you are unsure whether you meet the criteria, or whether your circumstances justify you applying for the one-off 2021 Resident Visa

15/10/2021

2021 Residence Visa - at a meeting today, INZ advised these new instructions should be released some time around the end of this month. Many migrants will be eligible to apply for residence, however INZ acknowledge that some people will not meet the criteria under this residence pathway. There is no intention to extend this residence pathway to include Student Visa or PhD visa holders, Seasonal workers or those on short term visa who are currently not otherwise eligible. There are around 230,000 visa holders in New Zealand, of which 165,000 will be eligible to apply for the new 2021 Residence visa, which is good news for many. If you have questions or need assistance, contact us now.

10/10/2021

Culturally Arranged Marriages.
Couples no longer need to prove they have been living together to be eligible for a visitor visa under the Culturally Arranged Marriages (CAM) category. Under the new guidelines, if an individual was travelling to NZ to join a partner, they may be considered a genuine applicant if other conditions like health and character were met.
An applicant who is already married, or is intending to marry in New Zealand, would be granted a three-month visitor visa. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/changes-to-culturally-arranged-marriages-immigration-visa-rules-a-delight-to-many-community-leader-says/Q3A6TZAZAUZHBDRXYGKPUQONU4/
INZ have yet to release more information on this policy and the relevant immigration instructions, which means this advice is subject to change. If you wish to discuss your current situation or visa needs, contact us now.

Visitors under the category will be exempt from Covid-19 border restrictions.

09/10/2021

Overview of the Essential Skills Work Visa. This is the main type of work visa available to people with a job offer who want to work in New Zealand. The following information is based on the Essential Skills immigration instructions current at the time of this post and as such is subject to change.

INZ have over the past few years looked to change to a new work visa regime requiring all employers to have special accreditation status. This was to come in to force by 01 November 2021 and it was expected that most of the immigration current policy, including the Essential Skills Work Visa would still apply. However, more recently INZ delayed the implementation of Employer Accreditation until mid 2022 which means that Essential Skills Work Visas applications will continue to be possible until then.

At the moment, due to New Zealand’s current border closure INZ is not accepting applications for Essentials Skills Work Visas from people who are overseas. Whilst there are some limited exceptions to the border closure for people seeking to come to New Zealand, these are not covered here.

Key Requirements for an Essential Skills Work Visa
1. You MUST have a job offer – it not possible to apply for an Essential Skills Work Visa without a job offer. Although there are a few exceptions which do not require job offers, such as the Working Holiday Visa and the Post Study Work Visa. Since July 2020 INZ have used the rate of pay to determine the duration of the work visa which can be granted. Under current immigration policy, jobs paying above median wage e.g. above $27 per hour, indicate the grant of a 3 year work visa. Whereas, jobs paying below the median wage, e.g. less than $27 per hour, indicates the grant of a 2 year visa.
2. There must be no NZ citizens or residents available to fill the job offered. This means the employer must have made ‘genuine attempts’ to employ NZ citizens or residents to the role before a work visa holder.
3. Suitably Qualified – the applicant must have suitable qualifications and/or work experience as required by the ANZSCO occupation code.
4. Health and Character – the applicant must meet Health and Character requirements. However, INZ recently introduced new rules for some visa applicants who have previously provided police certificates and general medical or chest x-rays with a previous application. These previously provided certificates will remain valid for a further Essential Skills Work Visa application, regardless of how long ago they were provided to INZ.

Many people seeking to apply for a work visa often have complicated or difficult circumstances. If you would like to apply for a work visa or wish to discuss your specific situation, you should contact us.

01/10/2021

The recent announcement of a 2021 Residence visa is good news for many. Whilst the immigration instructions related to this new visa are yet to be finalized here is a quick summary of what we know so far.
Applicants must have met the criteria on 29 September 2021. To be eligible you must have been in New Zealand on 29 September 2021, and be on an eligible visa or have applied for an eligible visa on or before 29 September 2021 that is later granted. You must also meet one of the three criteria: have lived in New Zealand for three or more years, or earn at or above the median wage ($27 per hour), or work in a role on a scarce list. Partners and dependent children of eligible applicants, can be included in a residence application.

Details on the 2021 Resident visa, including the eligible visas and the scarce list can be found here. https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/already-have-a-visa/one-off-residence-visa

Some work visa holders currently in New Zealand as well as some critical purpose visitor visa holders may be eligible to apply for residence under the new residence category – the 2021 Resident Visa.

09/06/2021

The Minister announced today, that as of 19 July 2021 all visa applications for an Essential Skills Work Visa will be assessed against a new hourly rate of $27 per hour . This pay rate will determine whether the jobs are treated as higher or lower paid and therefore the length of the visa you will be granted. If you are currently on a 3 year ESWV which is due to expire some time within the next 12 months, we recommend that you apply for a new visa before the 19th of July. Feel free to contact me if you need advice or assistance [email protected]

09/06/2021

Todays announcement of a six month extension is good news for Working Holiday and Supplementary Seasonal Employment (SSE) visa holders and their employers. This affects work visas due to expire between 21 June 2021 and 31 December 2021. SSE visa holders will be given open work rights, allowing them to work in any sector for the duration of their extended visa.

07/05/2021

On 10 August 2020 the NZ government suspended the ability for many offshore applicants to apply for temporary entry class visas, which included Visitor, Work, Student and Limited visas. The government has made a decision to extend the suspension for a further three months until 06 August 2021.
People who meet the border exception criteria or those within the quarantine-travel bubble are not affected by the suspension.