Immigration

Streamlined immigration process following business sale and restructure

The New Zealand government has implemented significant revisions to the accreditation process and the Job Check protocol aimed at streamlining the experience for employers and holders of the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) during events such as business sales, mergers, or restructures. These changes are part of a broader initiative to enhance efficiency within the AEWV framework, ensuring that processing times are minimised for all parties involved. Starting from 6 November 2024, important new guidelines will come into effect: 1. …

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Open work rights for partners of migrant workers

Open work rights will be available to more partners of migrant workers from 2 December 2024. WATCH ON YOUTUBE What is changing and who is benefiting? The government is taking steps to expand work opportunities for partners of migrant workers, enabling them to work for any employer. This initiative aims to position New Zealand as an appealing and supportive destination for highly skilled migrants and their families, while addressing skills shortages in vital sectors such as healthcare and education. These …

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Australia and New Zealand Introduce New Occupation Lists for Work Visas

Australia and New Zealand are in the process of introducing updated occupation classification systems to simplify the visa application process for international workers. New Zealand will be implementing the National Occupation List (NOL), while Australia will be launching the Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) to replace the current ANZSCO system. The intention is partly to streamline the issuance of visas for foreign workers by introducing tailored occupation classification systems that align with their respective labour market requirements. This move …

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Longer visas for partners of new Zealanders

The Government has revised the maximum duration for partnership work and visitor visas for partners of New Zealand citizens or holders of residence class visas. The duration has been extended from 2 years to 3 years. This is very good news and will provide some peace of mind for migrants whose 2-year partnership visa may sometimes appear too short to secure residency. What has changed? Up until now, the maximum duration of a partnership-based temporary (work or visitor) visa a …

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Extra requirements for AEWV employers in Triangular employment

Immigration New Zealand is issuing a warning to triangular employers about the potential breaches of employment agreements and immigration accreditation rules if they place migrant workers with another triangular employer. What has triggered this warning? It has come to the attention of Immigration New Zealand that a few triangular employers have been engaging in the practice of placing their migrant workers with other triangular employers, who may then place these workers elsewhere. This practice is concerning for several reasons: Responsibility …

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Migrant School Leavers To Get Part-time Work Rights

What is changing? The Government has unveiled new measures to offer migrant children leaving school an opportunity to work and contribute to the New Zealand economy. More specifically, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford revealed that part-time work rights will be expanded for those waiting on family residence application decisions. Many young people who are part of a family residence application process are unable to work. They can remain on visitor visas for long periods of time because they can’t afford international …

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Government to ease skills requirements for certain roles

What is changing? The Government is making temporary adjustments that ease skills requirements for certain types of role. The changes are meant to make it easier for employer to attract migrant workers in certain industries and roles, and are part of a broader review of the AEWV scheme to ensure its effectiveness. In essence, some roles in specific sectors will be exempt from the AEWV minimum skill requirement under the following conditions. The minimum skills requirement policy was introduced in …

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New Zealand Immigration Visa fees due to increase late 2024

Immigration New Zealand – Increase in Visa Charges from 1st October 2024 Immigration has announced that from 1st October 2024 there will be an increase in visa fees. For many visa categories the increase is considerable ranging from 1.5 times to over 3 times the current fees. Currently there are cost differences depending on where you are located when you submit your visa application (onshore vs offshore). Moving forward the visa costs will (predominantly) be the same regardless of location. …

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New Eligibility criteria for family of Work visa holders

The New Zealand Government has announced changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme. Effective immediately, AEWV holders in ANZSCO level 4 or 5 roles can no longer support visa applications for their partners and children. This includes work, student, and visitor visas. This change does not affect visa holders in ANZSCO level 1, 2, 3 roles However, partners and dependent children can still apply for these visas independently if they meet the necessary immigration requirements. Contact us Notably, …

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New Eligibility criteria for partners of international students

Good news for families moving via study pathway We are thrilled to announce a significant amendment to the immigration instructions that will bring clarity and excitement to many current and prospective students and their families. Partners of students undertaking a level 9 or 10 programme (Masters of PhD) may obtain a work visa to accompany their spouse or partner. But until this morning, programmes below level 9 were less straightforward: there was considerable confusion regarding the eligibility criteria for a …

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