Staged reopening of New Zealand borders

Note: updated 19 January 2022 Reconnecting New Zealand to the World The Government has announced several dates to map out the reopening of New Zealand borders to international travellers. With restrictions dramatically eased for New Zealand citizens initially, the first quarter of 2022 will see these steps progressively extended to all travellers from April 2022. The announcement also comes with a substantial easing of quarantine requirements, allowing a reduced period of isolation at  home rather than in managed facilities. Official …

Read More

Very High Risk Countries classification to be removed

Since April 2021, only New Zealand citizens and their immediate family member could travel to New Zealand from Brazil, India, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea. More information (Beehive) Travellers from Indonesia, Fiji, India, Pakistan and Brazil The Government has announced that the Very High-Risk classification for Indonesia, Fiji, India, Pakistan and Brazil will be removed early December 2021. Since April 2021, only New citizens and their family could travel to New Zealand from one of these countries. Travellers from these …

Read More

Pathway for migrant farm workers

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) have announced a new one-off residency visa, which allows thousands of farm workers to apply for residence, a vital step in securing their long-term future in NZ. The new 2021 residency visa helps up to 165,000 migrants currently in NZ, many of whom may not have otherwise qualified for residence.   “This new residence visa is great news, not only for farm workers but also farm owners. Keeping our current skilled staff is vital. Prior to …

Read More

New Border class exception for 1,000 international tertiary students

More international students allowed in New Zealand A further border class exception for 1,000 international tertiary students has been approved by the New Zealand Government. This is very exciting news and a positive indication of the steps New Zealand is taking towards allowing students and workers into the country. This new exemption will allow certain categories of international students to commence their studies in New Zealand, namely: 400 pilot trainees 300 students at degree level and above, and 300 students …

Read More

MIQ spots for Healthcare workers

A change in process The New Zealand government has announced that it is changing the way that it manages MIQ (Managed Isolation and Quarantine) for Healthcare workers by guaranteeing 300 spots per month for the health and disability sector. Building and maintaining a world-class health workforce is vital in rebuilding the healthcare system and adding capability to deal with the Covid19 Pandemic. The specifically allocated rooms will allow for migrants and New Zealanders brining their skills home to easily obtain …

Read More

New 2021 Residence Visa: certainty for thousands of migrant workers

A new, one-off residence visa Immigration New Zealand have announced a new Residence visa which allows thousands of farm workers to apply for Residence, a vital step in securing their long term future in NZ. The new 2021 residency visa helps up to 165,000 migrants currently in New Zealand, many of whom may not have otherwise qualified for residence. Eligibility criteria Waikato dairy farmer and New Zealand Shores Immigration business development manager, Grant Coombes, said “This new Residence visa is …

Read More

Essential Skills visa changes: recruiting for roles

Oversupply list to be removed The job seeker oversupply list has been removed by Ministry of Social Development (MSD), effective from 1st October 2021. The undersupply list will also be removed later this year. This has come as very welcomed news by employers and the immigration industry. As some background, the over and under supply lists were introduced to streamline MSD’s advice to Immigration New Zealand on the availability of job seekers. This formed part of the assessment of the …

Read More

Vaccination required for everyone who is not a NZ citizen

A first step to the reopening of NZ borders The New Zealand government has announced that from the 1st of November, full vaccination will become a requirement for non-New Zealand citizens arriving in to New Zealand. The change has been implemented in order to add an extra layer of defence to New Zealand’s Covid response and assist with preventing as many covid positive people from entering New Zealand. The New Zealand government sees this as an important step in our …

Read More

One-off 2021 Resident visa announced for onshore migrants

New streamlined resident visa brings hope to 165,000 migrant workers A long-awaited decision on the long residence queue has now been reached, with the New Zealand Government opening a new, simplified residence process for onshore migrant workers. This decision and new visa category is meant to fast-track residence for an estimated 165,000 migrant workers potentially eligible, including 30,000 waiting on a residence decision, and 12,000 with an Expression Of Interest in the pool. More information (Beehive) Go to Visa page

Visa processing update and Extension of Travel Conditions

Update on visa processing during lockdown Immigration New Zealand has confirmed that paperbased applications cannot be processed while New Zealand is in level 3 or 4 lockdown. This for privacy and security reasons. We anticipate normal processing to resume progressively as the country eases into level 2, and 1. As a result, Variation of conditions on temporary work visas are not currently processed. However, Immigration is working on porting VOCs online to facilitate the process. No timeframe has been provided …

Read More

New Zealand Shores