Immigration

Seasonal workers from Pacific Islands allowed into New Zealand from September

A much welcome announcement for the horticulture industry Seasonal workers from Sāmoa, Tonga and Vanuatu will be able to enter New Zealand from September without needing to go through the mandatory two-week managed quarantine and isolation. This announcement, a further sign that the Government is progressively easing border restrictions, is coming in response to concerns from fruit growers who are in desperate need of picking staff for the upcoming season. More information (NZ Herald “The move is aimed at addressing …

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New Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa (MEPV)

A new visa category for those experiencing exploitation at work. The Government has announced the creation of a new work visa to help those who may have to leave employment, while their employer is being investigated for potential exploitation. This new visa is called the Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa (MEPV). What is the Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa? The main purpose of this visa is to allow exploited migrants to have peace of mind that they are in New …

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Longer Essential Skills visas, easier process for renewals

The Government has brought positive news for onshore migrants and New Zealand employers which will impact Essential Skills work visa applications from 19 July 2021. This is a temporary measure to alleviate skills shortages. This announcement is meant to ease employers’ concerns about labour shortages INZ website NZ Herald Maximum duration of Essential Skills work visas From 19 July 2021, the Government is extending the maximum duration of an Essential Skills work Visa for a job paid below the median …

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New Zealand Immigration Employer Seminar

New Zealand Shores on a foggy Tuesday morning at Zealong Tea Estate in Gordonton, held an informative conference for employers from the Waikato region, with some businesses travelling from further afar. Guest speakers of the morning were New Zealand Shores Licensed Immigration Advisers, Immigration New Zealand Relationship Managers, Federated Farmers spokesman, our HR partner Everest and the Waikato Chamber of Commerce.  We also had some guests in our audience, that of Jamie Strange, current Hamilton East MP for Labour & …

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New Accredited Employer Work visa

As you will be aware with all the recent Immigration announcements, change is coming within the temporary work visa space. This could potentially affect your business if you are a NZ employer, or your staff on temporary work visas. 6 current work visa streams will be replaced with the new Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), this replaces Essential skills, Approval in principle, Talent: Accredited employer, long term skill shortage, silver fern work visas. The new visa will take effect on …

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New median wage used as threshold for Select visa categories

.The remuneration thresholds used by Immigration New Zealand are being revised Thresholds increase on 19 July 2021 The Essential Skills work visa and Skilled Migrant Category resident visa are the visa categories that are being impacted. These thresholds are based on the NZ median salary and wage, and are therefore updated every year. The new thresholds were set in 2020 but their implementation by INZ has been delayed to allow employers more flexibility to retain their key migrant staff. Thresholds …

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Extension for Working Holiday visas and Supplementary Seasonal Employment visas

Update 11 June 2021 Are you currently in New Zealand on Working Holiday visa or a Seasonal Supplementary Employment (SSE) visa? You may qualify for an automated 6 months extension. This extension is automatic and there is no fee. More information (INZ website) Which visas are being automatically extended? Working Holiday visas Onshore Working Holiday visa holders whose visa expire between 21 June and 31 December 2021 will be extended for 6 months. Working Holiday visa holders may work in …

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Further easing of border restrictions

We have had some positive news from the New Zealand government in response to the need for certain sectors of the economy to source skilled and critical workers from overseas. News (NZ Herald) More information (Beehive) The creation of a “Trans-Tasman” bubble means a quarantine-free travel area between Australia and New Zealand. As an estimated 40% of isolation spaces were occupied by travellers from Australia, the bubble has freed up availability for other travellers to come to New Zealand. This …

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Update on Changes to Accreditation and Work visa categories

Immigration New Zealand hosted a webinar for the Immigration industry. This event provided valuable information on the upcoming accreditation and work visa changes. Let’s look at the implementation timelines and what this means for your existing staff Background: what is changing Since 2019, the Government has been working on a new temporary work visa called the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). This also prompts a new employer-led system whereby all employers willing to support a migrant’s work visa accreditation will …

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Travel Restrictions from very high risk countries

From 28th April 2021, only New Zealand citizens and their immediate family member can  travel to New Zealand from Brazil, India, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea. More information (INZ website) These 4 countries have been designated as being ‘very high risk’ and arrival from these countries is being severely restricted as a result. If you are not a New Zealand citizen or immediate family travelling with them, you can enter New Zealand only if you have spent 14 days outside …

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