Month: October 2021

The new Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) will be implemented on 4th July 2022, by the New Zealand Government.

 

Please note that the applications for accreditation will open on 9th May 2022.

Migrant workers can only be hired on the new visa, provided the employers are accredited. Businesses & regions are urged to train & upskill workers in New Zealand. Accredited employers/businesses can use the new AEWV to hire skilled migrant workers in areas where there is a legitimate need for skill or labour shortages.

You may find out and get yourself familiarized with the new AEWV and the 3-check process here.

In May 2021, the New Zealand Government had announced that first-time applications for the Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa and the Long-Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa would close on 31st October 2021. In preparation for the new AEWV, these visas are being phased out.

Until the new AEWV is implemented, employers can continue to hire onshore temporary migrant workers on an Essential Skills Work Visa without having to obtain employer certification. The introduction of the new AEWV has no effect on other temporary work visas, such as the Recognized Seasonal Employer Limited Visa and the Working Holiday Scheme Visa.

For more information from INZ regarding WTR visas closing to new applications please click here.

Information for Migrant Workers on this new change:

This new change will not affect migrants who are currently on a temporary work visa as long as they are meeting their visa conditions and their visa remains valid. If they meet the conditions under the appropriate visa category, Work to Residence (WTR) visa holders who have applied for a Residence from Work (RFW) visa may apply for a subsequent WTR visa after 31 October 2021.

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.

The Immigration New Zealand (INZ) and the Ministry of Health will no longer consider the cost of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) treatment to be significant.

As a result, HIV infection has been removed from the list of high-cost health conditions used to evaluate Resident Visa applications by INZ.

The proposal to update the list was backed by PHARMAC, the National HIV and AIDS Forum, UNAIDS, and the New Zealand AIDS Foundation.

INZ will continue to assess the medical conditions of HIV positive applicants, but will not automatically conclude that they do not have an acceptable standard of health, which could result in a visa application being denied.

If you have any queries or require assistance regarding the above information, please do not 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.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) announced a new border exception to immigration instructions allowing a small number of workers from Tuvalu to enter New Zealand as part of the Tuvalu Maritime Strengthening Project.

The Tuvalu Maritime Strengthening Project has been added to the Government-to-Government Agreement List as a result of the COVID-19, allowing the 14 crew members (as well as any required repair workers) to enter New Zealand under an ‘other critical worker‘ border exception.

This exception is made under COVID-19 Support Restricted Temporary Entry requirements.

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.

INZ announces that by way of Special Direction every person who:

• Is in New Zealand on 1st November 2021, and
• Holds Working Holiday Scheme or a Working Holidaymaker Extension temporary visa (Working Holiday Visa) with an expiry date between 21st December 2021 and 30th June 2022 (inclusive)

Will be extended for a period of 6 months from the date on which they would have otherwise expired.

This special directive is made to manage and control or mitigate the outbreak of COVID-19 or its effects. This special direction addresses the labour market’s continued consequences as a result of COVID-19 by permitting immigration settings to be more flexible so that existing migrant workers can continue to fill labour shortages while border restrictions remain in place.

Unless withdrawn sooner, this special direction will expire on June 30, 2022.

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.

INZ announces that that by way of Special Direction every person who:

1. Is in New Zealand on 1st November, 2021, and
2. Holds Supplementary Seasonal Employment (SSE) temporary visa with an expiry date between 31st December 2021 and 30th June 2022 (inclusive)

Will be extended for a period of 6 months from the date on which they would have otherwise expired.

This special directive is made to manage and to control or mitigate the outbreak of COVID-19 or its effects. This special direction addresses the labour market’s continued consequences as a result of COVID-19 by permitting immigration settings to be more flexible so that existing migrant workers can continue to fill labour shortages while border restrictions remain in place.

Unless withdrawn sooner, this special direction will expire on June 30, 2022.

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.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has a contract with VFS Global Ltd (VFS) to operate 42 user pays Visa Application Centres (VACs) in 27 countries. VACs collect and securely send visa applications and/or passports to the visa office for processing.

VACs that are closing

Immigration New Zealand has announced that on 30 November 2021, New Zealand’s Visa Application Centres (VACs) in Kiribati & Naru will close down. Besides this, Australia’s VACs in these two places will also close by this date.

The closure is due to significant decline in the volume of visa applications globally as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, uncertainty about when normal visa activities will resume and the impact of INZ’s digital development.

VACs will accept & digitize paper-based applications & also passport related information that is associated with online applications.
1 December 2021 onwards, customers of INZ’s Kiribati & Naru VACs will have to either courier a printed application to the VAC or apply using Immigration Online.

Immigration Online is a system that allows applicants to apply online for certain visa categories.
More information about Immigration Online can be found here
VACS that will remain open
VACs in the following places will remain open:
• Sydney (Australia)
• Suva (Fiji)
• Honiara (Solomon Islands)

More information about offices/ VACs outside New Zealand can be found here

Fees

Immigration New Zealand has confirmed that VAC closure will not lead to an increase in fees. However, the VAC service fee will still have to be paid by customers.

The extra cost to courier an application and/or passport to and from the nearest VAC will have to be borne by the applicants themselves. Applicants are encouraged to check the fee and timeframe with the local courier before submitting the application.

To avoid closure of VACs, INZ has considered other options like increasing the VAC service fees. However, this would lead to a substantial increase in fees to cover the costs of operating in these two locations – Kiribati & Naru. This has been deemed unreasonable as the costs would be too high and the burden of the increased service fee would have fallen on the applicant which would have resulted in the fees being higher than the overall cost (including courier charges) to just send an application to the nearest VAC.

For information about New Zealand Visa Application Centres (VACs), please click on the link here.

INZ has confirmed that it is committed to working with the Kiribati & Naru Governments to ensure that the people have continued access to New Zealand visa services.

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.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has made new amendments to the assessment of Essential Skills Work Visa applications. The job lists of oversupply and undersupply were part of Government’s COVID-19 response and had contained advice from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) about supply of specific occupation job seekers in regions of New Zealand.

This advice is a part of the assessment of the Labour Market Test (LMT) for jobs paying below the median wage for Essential Skills Work Visa applications.

• From 1st October 2021, the jobseeker oversupply list has been removed by the MSD.
• Later this year the undersupply list will be removed.

The LMT is not required for:

• Occupations on Immigration New Zealand Skill’s Shortage List; or
• For applicants remaining in their current full-time employment, and not changing their role, employer or region of work.

The LMT is still required for:

• Roles paying less than the median wage (NZD $27 per hour); INZ needs to seek advice from MSD when assessing Essential Skills Work Visa applications
• Jobs that were on oversupply list, individual Skills Match Reports (SMR) will be required from MSD.
• Before a job is offered to a migrant worker, MSD will ensure that the New Zealand based employer has made genuine attempts to attract and recruit New Zealanders.

  For more information on hiring of migrant workers, please click on the link here.

If you have any queries or require assistance regarding the above information, please do not 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.

What is Afghan Emergency Resettlement (AER) Visa?

The recent evacuees from Afghanistan will now have an opportunity to stay in New Zealand permanently under the Afghan Emergency Resettlement (AER) Visa category, recently introduced by the New Zealand Government. The holders of this category of visas will be able to benefit from housing support, funded health services, education and other Government services. It is worthwhile mentioning that Resettlement Case Officers have been assigned to the evacuees.

Who can apply for this AER visa?

Only Afghan citizens who were in Afghanistan on 15th August 2021 can apply for this visa.

What are the eligibility criteria for the AER Visa?

The evacuees who are eligible for the AER Visa are divided into 3 categories:

• Holders of Critical Purpose Visa (along with their partners and dependent children) granted under section 61A of the Immigration Act 2009 following New Zealand Government agency verification
• Holders of Critical Purpose Visa granted between 15th August 2021 and 12th September 2021 (dates are inclusive)
• Holders of Temporary Entry Visas or Resident Visas who were in New Zealand before 12th September 2021

If the family members are overseas, will they be eligible to apply?

Partners and dependent children who are overseas may be able to make an application separately under partnership and dependent category of visas.

By which date the applications for AER Visa are to be made?

The applications must be submitted before 12th December 2021 and the applicant must be in New Zealand when they submit the application.

What are the fees for the AER Visa applications?

There is no fee charged for this category of applications.

What is the expected timeline for the for the AER Visa applications process?

Generally speaking, the applications under this category can be expected to be processed in a month’s time.

For more information on the AER Visa, please click on the link here.

If you have any queries or require assistance regarding the above information, please do not 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.