New Zealand lockdown restrictions update

Cases of COVID Delta are under control in the country once again update 8 September 2021 Kia Ora from New Zealand, Everywhere outside of Auckland has moved to Level 2 as of Wednesday 8 September! At alert level 2 there are less restrictions- this is exciting news as it provides a sense of normality back to our daily lives. Immigration New Zealand staff members will be able to resume processing hardcopy visa applications, such as Skilled Migrant Resident visas, when …

Read More

Government announcement: Roadmap to reopening borders

Reconnect New Zealanders to the world The New Zealand government has announced our 4 stage road map to reconnect New Zealanders to the world and allow us to welcome back international travellers starting in early 2022. We are currently in between stages 1 and 2 where we are looking to see our government develop their full requirements including vaccination, testing and reduced time in MIQ. In 2022 we are looking to see a phased approach to opening up travel pathways …

Read More

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 …

Read More

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 …

Read More

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 …

Read More

Refunds for visa applications that cannot be processed

After many months of discussions on the process to follow, Immigration New Zealand is agreeing to refund visa application fees for temporary visa applications that cannot be processed due to New Zealand’s border restrictions. A much needed measure that will see thousands of people refunded their visa fees INZ website Applications to be lapsed or returned, and refunded If you applied for a temporary visa from offshore (outside New Zealand) before 10 August 2020 your application will be lapsed and …

Read More

New Border exemption for Teachers

Note: updated 19 January 2022 A new class of Approved Workers will see border exemptions granted for 300 overseas qualified teacher to enter New Zealand. Education Minister Chris Hipkins acknowledges a teacher shortage from the early childhood education level through to secondary school and highlights area that are deemed a priority for 2022 recruitment. More information (Radio NZ) Ministry of Education An exemption to fill the immediate gap While the Government has been pushing for more teachers to train, this …

Read More

Restrictions on offshore visa applications extended

Temporary visa applications from outside New Zealand (or outside a quarantine-free travel zone, also known as “travel bubble”) remain suspended, unless you are exempt. Most individuals who are outside New Zealand are prevented from submitting a temporary visa application, unless they meet the strict border exception criteria or are currently in a COVID-19 quarantine-free travel zone. This suspension of the normal offshore visa application process has been on hold since August 2020. The Government has extended the suspension to 6 …

Read More

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 & …

Read More

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 …

Read More

New Zealand Shores