Immigration

The COVID-19 crisis has put many migrants in New Zealand in a difficult position, and the New Zealand Government is responding with a set of initiatives to help alleviate this hardship. Are you a foreign national in need? There may be one or several organisations and initiatives that can provide assistance during these difficult times. Healthcare information All migrants with a work visa for 2 years or more –and their family– are eligible for public-funded healthcare. You are therefore entitled …

Read MoreSupport Initiatives for Migrants in need

Government announces first easing of border restrictions! BREAKING NEWS! As New Zealand is readjusting to the long-awaited normality of a level 1 lockdown, in place since 10 June 2020, the New Zealand government and Minister Phil Twyford (Minister of Business, Innovation and Employment) has today announced that it is undertaking the easing of some border restrictions. It is no longer required for the partners and dependent children of New Zealand citizens and residents to travel with their New Zealand citizen …

Read MoreBorder restrictions eased

COVID-19 The Coronavirus crisis has heavily impacted Immigration New Zealand’s capacity to process all categories of visas, and has had an impact on visa applicants, accordingly. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, INZ has implemented the Epidemic Management Notice, which means applications from individuals who have a critical purpose for coming to New Zealand and some temporary visa categories for onshore visa applicants were strictly prioritised. May 2020 update 70% of onshore Immigration Officers are currently able to work, and increasing. …

Read MoreVisa processing update

The COVID-19 restrictions trigger a lot of questions for prospective migrants as well as current temporary visa holders. Facebook Live Our licensed advisers  discussed all these matters in a 40mn video. If you missed our Facebook live, it is available to view online now View on Facebook

New Zealand temporary border closures and exceptions INZ has clarified the exceptions that will qualify to enter New Zealand during the temporary travel ban: Essential health workers, as confirmed by the Ministry of Health Other essential workers, as confirmed by the New Zealand Government Citizens of Samoa and Tonga making essential travel to New Zealand People coming to New Zealand for humanitarian reasons Partners, dependent children and legal guardians of, and who are traveling with: New Zealand citizens or permanent …

Read MoreINZ Exemptions to temporary travel ban

Updated 16th April Are visas still being processed by Immigration New Zealand? Yes. During the lock down (until 22nd April) however Immigration NZ are only processing prioritised applications. We are still preparing and lodging applications, which is important to do so. Ensuring your visa applications are lodged with Immigration at earliest opportunity has several benefits: Sooner in the queue means the sooner it will be allocated to an INZ case officer for a decision Your visa will be subject to …

Read MoreCOVID-19 – Coronavirus – Frequently asked questions

From Wednesday 25th March, NZ entered 4 weeks of isolation to try and reduce the spread of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus).  New Zealand is obviously not alone in this initiative, many countries around the world are also currently in isolation. With New Zealand being a physically isolated country surrounded by ocean, combined with strong border control measures, we have been relatively spared from the virus so far. The government is providing fantastic (financial) support to employers and employees and there are …

Read MoreCovid-19 – New Zealand government’s response to Coronavirus

Many of our clients need to have their overseas qualification(s) assessed by the New Zealand Qualification Authority. This government body has recently changed their processes. Why do I need an IQA? You may need an IQA in order to be deemed qualified for a role, on the basis of which you want to seek a work visa. You may also need to claim points for your overseas qualification under the Skilled Migrant residence category. More information (NZQA website) How does …

Read MoreNZQA: the New Zealand Qualification Authority updates their processes

Immigration has just released the long-anticipated update on the minimum salary required to be eligible under certain visa categories. These updates affect work visas under the Essential Skills category and residence applications under the Skilled Migrant Category. Worth noting: for any visa application, you will also need to meet ‘market rate’, which is the rate of pay which would be required to recruit a New Zealand citizen or resident to do equivalent work. What are the changes? The new thresholds …

Read MoreMinimum salary thresholds to increase February 2020