Professional Immigration Services - NZ

❗️SKILLS REQUIREMENT EASING FOR SOME ROLES ❗️

The Government is creating short-term exemptions to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) skills requirements for a limited number of roles and sectors.

These changes are designed to avoid shortages in specified sectors while long-term AEWV changes are being decided.

The exemptions will be available for:

✅New applicants applying for select meat and seafood processing roles.
✅Some current visa holders renewing their AEWV for work covered under the tourism & hospitality and care workforce sector agreements. Their application must be for the same occupation that they are currently in.

The exemptions will be in place on 8 September 2024.

❗️MASSIVE IMMIGRATION NEW ZEALAND FEE INCREASES COMING 1 OCTOBER❗️

This morning, INZ announced that it will be increasing its fees for most visa applications on 1 October this year. Residence applications will be significantly affected, with costs increasing by over $2,000 in most categories.

Notable increases:
- Skilled Residence (including Skilled Migrant Category, Green List, etc.) - Increasing from $4,290 to $6,450
- Family (Partnership) Category - Increasing from $2,750 to $5,360
- International student visa - Increasing from $375 to $750
- Post-study work visa - Increasing from $700 to $1,670
- Partner of New Zealander work visa - Increasing from $860 to $1,630
- Accredited employer work visa - Increasing from $750 to $1,540

See the full table of changes here:https://www.immigration.govt.nz/documents/media/immigration-fee-and-levy-table-rates-from-1-october-2024.pdf

Avoid these fee increases and lodge your applications before 1 October!

www.immigration.govt.nz

❗️NEW HEALTH ROLES ADDED TO GREEN LIST❗️

The New Zealand Government is adding 32 new health sector roles to the Green List and will move ALL Green List health roles to the Straight to Residence pathway.

This change means that many people will suddenly be eligible to apply for residence immediately via the Green List. Straight to Residence means that they don't have to wait to apply, as long as they have a job offer for one of the listed roles.

The roles being added to the Green List are spread across the entire health system and are considered critical and nationally important. The new roles also cover specialisations within those fields. The list includes roles in social services, education, and the justice sector that support the delivery of health services in New Zealand.

Read more about the changes below 👇

Government announces more health roles to be added to the Green List Thirty-two new health roles have been added to the Green List and all health roles on the Green List will be moved to the Straight to Residence pathway.

❗️WORKING HOLIDAY SCHEMES REOPENING FOR 2023❗️

The 2023 reopening dates for capped Working Holiday Schemes have now been confirmed.

Once each scheme opens, applications will remain open until the quota is filled. Once filled, the scheme will close until 2024.

Work is underway to implement changes to the Spain and Vietnam schemes. Opening dates for these schemes will be made available on the Immigration New Zealand website once they are confirmed.

‼️ NEWS FOR SMC EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - 9 NOVEMBER SELECTION ‼️

Some positive news for people planning to submit a Skilled Migrant Category Expression of Interest (EOI) before 9 November...

Immigration New Zealand has changed immigration instructions ahead of the first EOI selection on 9 November 2022.

Changes have been made to allow:

🔘 people submitting an EOI to make a declaration of meeting qualification points and English language requirements ahead of receiving assessment results from providers, and

🔘 applicants to submit a residence application using an English language test older than two years as evidence of demonstrating that they have an acceptable standard of English.

These changes are effective on and after 25 October 2022.

The New Zealand Productivity Commission has completed an inquiry into what immigration policy settings would best facilitate New Zealand’s long-term economic growth and promote the wellbeing of New Zealanders.

The Commission's final report "Immigration - Fit for the future" makes 32 findings and 24 recommendations to Government. Their key findings are summarised below for those of you who are interested:

🔳 Immigration is not likely to be the solution nor the cause of the productivity challenges facing Aotearoa New Zealand.

🔳 The relationship between productivity and immigration requires a balance of trade-offs between government objectives, and a consideration of short‑run and long‑run impacts.

🔳 Immigration has played an important part in New Zealand’s economic development.

🔳 On average, immigration is not driving down wages nor displacing local workers.

🔳 The use of Labour Market Tests, Skill Shortage Lists and tying migrants to employers can suppress wages and productivity.

🔳 The supply of infrastructure is less responsive to population growth now than in the past.

Points 3, 4 and 5 above are particularly interesting because they suggest that what the Government is currently trying to achieve with their 'Immigration Rebalance' may do more harm to New Zealand's economy than good. To give an example, I am particularly concerned about the impact of the new Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme on the hospitality sector. How will restaurants that rely on hiring overseas chefs (think Indian, Thai, Chinese restaurants, etc.) possibly fill all of their vacancies now that every chef has to hold at least a Level 4 cooking qualification in order to get a work visa? Many of the best chefs may have 20+ years' cooking experience, but no qualifications - and now employers won't be able to hire those people. I know of many restaurants that are already struggling to find suitable staff with the border being closed, and Immigration New Zealand's recent policy decisions (timed for the border reopening) will likely only make things harder for them.

https://www.productivity.govt.nz/inquiries/immigration-settings/?fbclid=IwAR2h6crLwIEs-7umMeK8cF7e1R9MybznOR62U9FX-PBF0Itk10aHvutjqms

Upcoming changes that you may have missed. 👇

!!! BREAKING NEWS !!!

THE NEW ZEALAND BORDER WILL FULLY REOPEN FROM 1 AUGUST 2022.

- ACCREDITED EMPLOYER WORK VISA: KEY DATES -

23 MAY 2022 - Employers can apply online for accreditation.

20 JUNE 2022 - Employers can apply for a job check.

3 JULY 2022 - Last day to apply for an Essential Skills Work Visa. Essential Skills category closes.

4 JULY 2022 - Accredited Employer Work Visa applications open.

More information will be available on this page and www.proimmigration.co.nz soon.

Who needs proof of vaccination to enter New Zealand?

With the New Zealand borders reopening and people beginning to travel again, it is important to know what the vaccination requirements are if you plan to return to or travel to NZ.

The following people need to provide proof of vaccination to enter NZ:

🔹non-New Zealand citizens — including New Zealand permanent residents
🔹non-New Zealand citizens who are transiting New Zealand
🔹foreign air crew arriving in New Zealand.

You DO NOT need to have proof of vaccination if you:

🔹are a New Zealand citizen
🔹are a child aged 16 years and under
🔹cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons — you will need electronic or paper evidence from a health practitioner
🔹are a refugee arriving in New Zealand for the first time
🔹are a citizen of Afghanistan and you are being evacuated
🔹are arriving from Antarctica
🔹have been granted a visa under the 2022 Special Ukraine Visa Policy; or if you are or were ordinarily resident in Ukraine at any point on or after 1 January 2022.

Vaccination exemptions will also be accepted with the proper paperwork proving that you have been granted an exemption. You will need to apply to the Ministry of Health for an exemption, along with evidence of why you need one. The Director-General of Health will then decide if you can get an exemption. Some new travellers to New Zealand may be able to get an exemption if they are travelling from a country with no, or limited access to COVID-19 vaccines.

❗️INZ UPDATE ON BORDER REOPENING: WHO CAN TRAVEL TO NZ FROM 13 APRIL❗️

From Wednesday 13 April, the following groups who still meet the conditions of their visa can travel to New Zealand without a border exception:

WORK VISA HOLDERS
- Holders of a work visa currently outside NZ
- Holders of a work visa currently in NZ may also leave and return

DEPENDENTS OF WORKERS
- Dependents of work visa holders with valid student visas. Those who are currently in NZ may also leave and return.

STUDENT VISA HOLDERS
- Holders of a valid student visa currently outside of New Zealand.
- Holders of a student visa currently in New Zealand may also leave and return.
- A new border exception for 5000 new and returning international students.

AUSTRALIANS
- Australian citizens and permanent residents arriving from anywhere in the world.

Most visa holders must be fully vaccinated to enter New Zealand.
All visa holders must complete a travel declaration (see travellerdeclaration.govt.nz).

❗OLDER DEPENDENT CHILDREN OF PEOPLE ELIGIBLE FOR 2021 RESIDENT VISA NOW ABLE TO STUDY AS DOMESTIC STUDENTS❗

Changes have been made to immigration instructions to introduce a new domestic student visa pathway. This pathway allows the dependent children of people who are eligible for a 2021 Resident Visa to be granted domestic student visas allowing tertiary study, i.e., they will not have to pay international student fees to study at a university or polytechnic, and will instead be entitled to the domestic fees that New Zealand citizens and residents enjoy.

This is a temporary change to allow children who have already completed their high school education to undertake tertiary studies while they wait for their parents' residence application to be approved.

Eligibility criteria:
Between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2023, a person who is:
- residing in New Zealand;
- aged 25 years old or younger as at 1 January 2022; and
- is the dependent child of a person who is eligible for the 2021 Resident Visa
will be able to apply for and be granted a domestic student visa. If the application is successful, the visa will be granted for the same duration as the applicant's parent's visa.

Staged re-opening of borders to overseas visitors from April From April 30, fully vaccinated visitors will be able to come to New Zealand in stages.

❗️HEALTH AND CHARACTER REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW 2021 RESIDENT VISA ANNOUNCED❗

Immigration New Zealand has now confirmed that new medical, chest X-ray and police certificates will not ordinarily be required for the new 2021 Resident Visa. Please read below.

Applicants for the 2021 Resident Visa who have previously provided medical and chest X-ray certificates within the last 36 months and were assessed as having an acceptable standard of health do not need to provide new certificates.

A limited medical certificate only will be required if:

⏺a medical certificate has not been provided within the last 36 months, or
⏺there have been subsequent changes to an applicant’s health, or
⏺an applicant’s standard of health was previously deemed to have not met requirements

Applicants will also not be required to provide a police certificate from their country of citizenship or any country that they have lived in for 12 months or more in the last ten years, unless requested by an immigration officer. A New Zealand Police Check is still required, regardless of the duration an applicant has spent in New Zealand, and INZ will request this on the applicant’s behalf.

❗INZ FEE FOR NEW 2021 RESIDENT VISA ANNOUNCED❗

Cost

The total cost of the 2021 Resident Visa is $2,160 including GST. This includes a $1,330 application fee and $830 immigration levy.

If you have already submitted and paid for a Skilled Migrant Category or Residence from Work application, you will not need to pay another fee when you apply for a 2021 Resident Visa.

However, once an in-principle decision has been made on your 2021 Resident Visa application, you will need to pay the application fee. At this point, if you choose to withdraw your other residence application, the fee from that application can be used towards your 2021 Resident Visa. If the application fee that you paid was less than the 2021 Resident Visa application, you will need to pay the difference in the application fee before your 2021 Resident Visa application is finalised.

You will not need to pay the immigration levy again. If you choose not to withdraw your existing residence application, you will need to pay the full $1,330 application fee for the 2021 Resident Visa. This is to cover the cost of processing.

❗BREAKING NEWS❗

Immigration Minister announces one-off resident visa for many work visa holders in New Zealand.

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 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.

Please note that this cannot be applied for right away. Applications will start from 1 December 2021 for people who already have Skilled Migrant Category or Residence from Work applications in progress. Everyone else will be apply to apply from 1 March 2022.

Those who are eligible to apply from 1 December 2021 will receive an email from Immigration New Zealand by the end of October with further information.

One-off residence pathway provides certainty to migrants and business One-off resident visa for up to 165,000 migrants provides certainty for New Zealand businesses so they can plan into the future

Fantastic and very exciting news. I'm looking forward to hearing more about this from the Minister when he makes his formal announcement.

Immigration Minister set to expedite residence visa applications The government is set to expedite thousands of residence visa applications, RNZ understands.

November and December MIQ spots gone in 67 minutes, thousands miss out “I don’t want Christmas this year,” says crying mother, as all hope of a managed isolation spot for her son this year evaporates.

National says Immigration capable of processing applications faster, says they're on a 'deliberate go-slow' National MP Erica Stanford says Immigration NZ has "been on a deliberate go-slow".

Sad, but not surprising. People should treat advice received from the Immigration Contact Centre (ICC) with extreme caution, as you'll get different information every time that you call. It's best to confirm the advice with a licensed immigration adviser first before taking action, or just ask a licensed immigration adviser instead of phoning ICC. Immigration professionals are more expertly trained and experienced than ICC staff, and are also bound by a professional code of conduct against which we can be held accountable for negligent advice (unlike Immigration New Zealand), so you're more likely to get the right advice the first time around if you just ask us. Many advisers are happy to answer general questions over the phone and some (like myself) also offer free consultations, so make the most of this excellent profession!

Immigration NZ visa blunder leaves South African man jobless for weeks, forced to sell belongings to provide for family Chris Botha says he should be compensated for the thousands of dollars in wages he missed out on.

Migrants filling labour shortage run out of patience with Government Irish national Antonia Williams is a teacher in NZ, but the lack of certainty is making her question her future here.

WORK VISA CHANGES NZ Last Friday the 16th of July, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi announced his decision to defer plans to implement the new Accredited Employer Work Visa, previously scheduled for 1 November 2021, until mid-2022. He also announced that lower-skilled migrant workers (classified as those earning below t...