Month: September 2021

After months of speculation, anticipation & waiting, the New Zealand Government finally has some good news for migrants. On 30 September 2021, Immigration Minister of New Zealand Kris Faafoi announced a rare, one-off residence visa pathway for some temporary work visa holders already in New Zealand.

Those eligible for this new category of visa include some long-term critical purpose visa holders arriving in New Zealand between 30 September 2021 and 31 July 2022. And yes – partners and dependent children can be included as part of the residence application.

Which are the criteria that have to be met?

The requirements that have to be met are:

• Applicants must have been in New Zealand on 29 September 2021.
• Be on an eligible visa or should have applied for an eligible visa on or before 29 September 2021 that is later granted. This criteria is mostly for work visa holders and does not apply to visitors, students, working holiday, or Recognized Seasonal Employment (RSE) visa holders.

Applicants must also meet one of the following criteria:

• Should have lived in New Zealand for 3 years or more and must have arrived in New Zealand on or before 29 September 2018. Also, must have spent a minimum of 821 days in New Zealand between 29 September 2018 and 29 September 2021. However, the stay does not have to be consecutive, and there is no minimum number of days in a calendar year. To know the duration of your stay in New Zealand, you can request your travel movements from Immigration New Zealand.
• You must be paid the median wage of NZ$ 27 per hour or more on 29 September 2021.
• Work in a role that is on one of the scarce lists given below
  • Long Term Skill Shortage List
  • Jobs requiring occupational registration in the health or education sector
  • Personal care and other critical health workers
  • Specified primary sector jobs

Which are the eligible visas?

Applicants must be on or have applied for and later granted one of the following visas as on 29 September 2021:

• Post Study Work Visa
• Talent Accredited Employer Work Visa
• Talent Arts, Culture Sports Work Visa
• Essential Skills Work Visa
• Religious Worker Work Visa
• Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa
• Skilled Migrant Category Job Search Visa
• Work Visa granted under Section 61 – applicant must have held another eligible visa within 6 months before being granted a Section 61 visa.
• Some Critical Purpose Visitor Visas for
  • Health care workers in long term roles (6 months or more)
  • Other critical workers in long term roles (6 months or more)

Please refer to the INZ website for more information and updates.

Who is not eligible?

Short-term visa holders who are not eligible for this new 2021 Resident visa include visitors, students, working holidaymakers, seasonal workers like those on the Recognized Seasonal Employer Scheme.

Those in the short-term or seasonal roles who are holders of a Critical Purpose Visitor Visa like fishing crew, agricultural & horticulture mobile plant operators, and shearers are not eligible for the 2021 Resident Visa.

What are the basic requirements?

Applicants must meet the health & character requirements. Overseas medical certificates will not be required unless requested by an Immigration Officer. However, limited medical certificates & chest x-rays may be required in some cases. Those applicants who do not meet the criteria will have to look for other visa pathways.

What is the application process?

Applications will open in 2 phases:

• Phase 1: You can apply from 1 December 2021 onwards if:
  • If you have already applied for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) & Residence from Work category before 29 September 2021 or
  • you have submitted a SMC Expression of Interest (EOI) & have included dependent children in it aged 17 years or older on 29 September 2021
• Phase 2: 1 March 2022 onwards the remaining eligible applicants can apply including those who have submitted an EOI for a SMC visa.

The final deadline to submit applications is 31 July 2022.

What would be the processing Time?

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) expects to process the applications within 12 months.

The 2021 Resident Visa is like the light at the end of the tunnel for over 1,65,000 migrants already in New Zealand and who can now plan their future & reunite with families. The new visa will create a residence pathway for over 5,000 health & aged care workers, 9,000 primary industry workers and over 800 teachers.

As the Minister of Immigration has stated, this is a way forward for migrant families disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Get in touch with Immigration Advisors New Zealand Ltd, which provides up-to-date immigration information so you can consider opportunities and prepare yourself for the future. To know all the required procedures, contact us at contact@nzimmigration.info or call on +64 09 3790219.

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When the pandemic first hit in early 2020, New Zealand closed its borders to the world to safeguard the people in the country. However, as the world started to adapt to Covid-19, the New Zealand Government announced some border exceptions to allow only people with critical purposes to enter the country.

Keeping the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has listed several exceptions that allow you to apply for a critical purpose visa. Therefore, you can begin the visa application process under the appropriate category right away if you meet the requirements.

Border Exception For Overseas Qualified Teachers

In July 2021, New Zealand’s Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced that 300 overseas qualified Teachers would be allowed into New Zealand. The Ministry of Education will invite applications for teachers from September 2021 onwards.

This initiative gives principals and services additional support, with the 2022 recruitment right around the corner, and complement existing teacher supply initiatives. It was even stated that teachers who worked in New Zealand but were outside the country when the borders closed and could not return to their jobs would be eligible for the border exception. New Zealand is even making arrangements for visas of the dependants and partners of the teachers already in NZ, in line with the principal applicant’s visa duration.

More Leverage To Critical Health Workers

Critical health workers are currently in great demand in New Zealand. They must meet certain criteria outlined by INZ to be eligible to apply for a border exception. You can include partners & dependent children as well.

Dairy Farmworkers About Visa

The New Zealand Government has granted border exceptions for dairy farm workers – for up to 150 dairy farm managers in management roles, 50 dairy farm assistants, 50 GP veterinarians. The exception has also been extended to their partners and dependent children. In addition, 125 agriculture/ horticulture mobile plant machine operators and 40 shearers are also part of the border exception. However, they must meet certain specific criteria to apply for a visa.

With the New Zealand government making so many exceptions and ease of applying for visas to New Zealand, nothing stops you from applying for a visa. The long wait can now be over, and the visa process can continue without any problems. So GET YOUR PROFILE ASSESSED TODAY FOR ELIGIBILITY!

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your eligibility or want any assistance with your immigration needs. Our team of experienced and Licensed Immigration Advisers is here to assist and navigate you on all your immigration-related queries and confusions. Contact us at contact@nzimmigration.info or call on +64 09 3790219.

While the New Zealand borders remain closed to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic & to safeguard the people, there is still hope to enter New Zealand if you have a Critical Purpose Visa.

One must hold a Critical Purpose Entry Visa for travelling to NZ. This visa allows you to enter New Zealand, even though the border restrictions are in place, but only if specific requirements are met.

If you are a critical healthcare worker or need to travel to NZ for humanitarian reasons or if you meet the other very specific requirements of Immigration New Zealand (INZ), then you may be eligible for Critical Purpose Visa.

You cannot apply for a Critical Purpose Visa directly. You have to first lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) explaining the reasons for your travel. You must use the INZ Online Request Form to do this.

NZ is taking extreme precautions to control and prevent the surge of Covid-19 in the country. In light of that, the authorities have become more cautious about whom to allow in the country and whom not to allow.

If the Immigration Officer is satisfied that you have a critical purpose to travel to New Zealand, then INZ sends you an Invitation To Apply (ITA) letter for a Critical Purpose Visa after which you can lodge your visa application. You are given one-month to apply for a Critical Purpose Visa and four-months to enter NZ once the visa is approved.

Currently, there is a huge demand for critical healthcare workers in New Zealand due to the ongoing pandemic. A critical health worker is a person who works in an occupation needed to deliver essential health services in New Zealand for certain employers. This includes registered health practitioners, workers who install, operate or maintain medical equipment, paramedics and ambulance workers, Physician associates and technical & support staff.

Health care workers who want to work in New Zealand and have got a job offer from a NZ based employer must hold a Critical Purpose Visa for travelling to NZ as a health care or disability worker. This visa would allow them to stay in the country for 6 to 12 months. This process can only be carried out if the applicant has an INZ approved employer. Once the person is inside the country, they can apply for a long-term work visa as per the eligibility.

Partners and dependent children of temporary visa holders, NZ citizens & residents can also apply for this visa provided they meet the strict INZ specifications.

The process may seem long but keeping in mind the importance of the visa, the process is worth the wait.

Click on the link here to know more about the reasons you can travel to New Zealand.

If you are not sure if you meet the requirements for a critical purpose visa/relationship-based visa or would like to know how you may be able to qualify, please contact Immigration Advisers New Zealand Ltd by sending email at contact@nzimmigration.info or call us today on +64 09 3790219

A Potential Prejudicial Information (PPI) is a letter of concern sent to the applicant by Immigration New Zealand (INZ).

If Immigration Officer is not satisfied with your application or is concerned with the supporting documents, they usually raise their concerns in the form of a PPI letter.

If the submission of information in response to PPI fails to mitigate the concerns raised by Immigration New Zealand (INZ), your application can be declined. So consider this as your final chance to prove why your application should be approved.

Hence, it is imperative that you work with an experienced and competent immigration expert to make the most of this opportunity to mitigate visa officers concerns while you can.

When does INZ send a PPI?

For temporary entry class applicants who are outside New Zealand, a PPI letter is sent when

• the information is not obtained either from the applicant or their representative AND
• is not publicly available or the applicant could be unaware of it AND
• it may adversely affect the outcome of the application AND
• the applicant has not previously had the opportunity to comment on it

For temporary entry class applicants who are already inside New Zealand, a PPI letter is sent when any information may have an adverse effect on the outcome of the application.

A PPI does not mean that INZ will decline the application. It simply means that INZ has identified certain concerns with your application, and they are giving you an opportunity to comment/ provide clarification.

Types of PPIs

INZ sends a PPI for various reasons, such as when the applicant has medical concerns, character concerns, or when certain immigration instruction-related assessment criteria are not met.

Medical PPI

One of the requirements for every temporary entry visa application is that the person must have an acceptable standard of health. Suppose the applicant fails to meet this requirement, based on the information received from the Health Assessment Team (HAT). In that case, INZ sends a medical PPI to the applicant seeking their comments and giving them an opportunity to provide additional information.

Character PPI

A character PPI is sent when INZ identifies some character-related issues.

For example:

• If the applicant has ever made or provided false or misleading information, withheld material information, or provided forged documents when applying for a New Zealand visa or supporting another person’s NZ visa application.
• If the applicant has ever got convicted of an offence against immigration, citizenship, or passport laws in any country.
• While holding a temporary New Zealand visa or while unlawfully in New Zealand, the applicant has been convicted of an offence for which the court has the power to imprison you for three months or longer. convicted of an offence
• If the applicant has been charged with a serious offense, is under investigation for a serious offense, or is wanted for questioning on a serious offense.

Other PPI’s (when assessment criteria concerns identified)

A PPI may also be sent when anything unfavourable or not meeting immigration instructions is identified by an immigration officer in the application or supporting documents submitted. The triggers for the PPI could be anything ranging from education, experience, finances, employer, employee, recruitment process, admission process, previously submitted information, previous immigration history etc.

How to respond to a PPI

Getting a PPI can be intimidating. A PPI letter will always have a deadline date for responding. Ensure that the date is not missed. If you are unable to provide comments within the said timeframe, you can request an extension.

The response to the PPI must be clear, to the point & well written. Additional documentary evidence that corroborates your explanation can be included as part of the response with watertight advocacy. Often the expertise of a lawyer or a licensed immigration adviser is required to respond to a PPI.

A PPI should never be taken lightly, as the outcome of your application depends on it.

For any assistance, don’t hesitate to contact Immigration Advisers New Zealand Ltd at contact@nzimmigration.info or call +64 09 3790219. Our experienced team of licensed immigration advisers will be happy to guide you.