Month: April 2022

Previously, individuals in a Culturally Arranged Marriage (CAM) with a New Zealand (NZ) citizen or resident were only eligible for a Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa if the marriage was scheduled to take place in New Zealand.

Now, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) even grants a Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa to individuals who had an arranged marriage three months before lodging the visa application, regardless of where the wedding ceremony took place.

This visa category benefits those applicants looking to stay in NZ longer-term with their spouses but doesn’t yet meet the living together requirements to be issued a partnership-based visa by INZ.

What is a culturally arranged marriage?

According to INZ, a culturally arranged marriage follows a recognized cultural tradition wherein the facilitation of the initial selection of the persons to be married is done by people who are not parties to the marriage i.e. the initial selection is not done by those getting married. Also, one partner has to be a New Zealand citizen or resident.

What is a Culturally Arranged Marriage (CAM) Visitor Visa?

This visa category allows the offshore applicant to travel to New Zealand for a culturally arranged marriage with a New Zealand citizen/resident OR have a culturally arranged marriage with a New Zealand citizen/resident overseas offshore, i.e. outside New Zealand.

In short, with the CAM visa, the applicant can –

• Come to New Zealand to get married.
• Come to New Zealand after getting married overseas.
• Apply for an NZ partnership-based visa once lived together with the partner in New Zealand and meet the partnership requirements.

Challenges faced in getting a CAM visa

Getting a CAM visa for NZ is not easy, though it may seem so. INZ is very particular about the relevant immigration instructions being met. One of the main requirements is to provide documentary evidence to show that the initial selection was not made by people who are getting/got married.

Let us explain.

The initial selection for a prospective partner in a culturally arranged marriage can be made in many ways:

• Through matrimonial advertisements in newspapers, social media, etc. and matrimonial websites
• With the help of a person acting as a go-between like a matchmaker Eg. parents, relatives, friends etc.

However, there are many challenges faced when providing evidence related to this. For example:

• The matrimonial website profiles are often created by the boy/ girl themselves and not by the parents as they are not very IT-literate. The profiles may then be handled by the respective parents or siblings of the boy/girl-to-be married or by the couple for various reasons.
• More often than not, the initial communication regarding the selection between the concerned parties (e.g. Matchmaker & parents or both sets of parents) is done face to face, over the phone, and nowadays through WhatsApp and messenger calls. There may be limited documentary evidence to support this claim.

In the above circumstances, it is difficult but not impossible to show how the initial communication was initiated and by whom. Therefore, you just need the right guidance to know what evidence is acceptable by INZ.

Besides this, other immigration instructions also need to be met to get a CAM visa.

While INZ has a low approval rate for CAM visitor visas (Less than 50 % CAM VV Applications approved), we at Immigration Advisers New Zealand Ltd have a very high approval rate (Almost 100% CAM VV Applications approved). We are the experts in processing NZ CAM visa applications and always provide the right guidance for a successful outcome.

Please remember: CAM visa applications are time-bound. So, make sure you apply for this visa on time. 

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.

What do visa conditions mean?

When a visa is issued, certain conditions are imposed on the visa holder which they have to abide by. Depending on the type of visa issued, the conditions imposed could include, the right to work, the right to study, visa extension rights etc. In simple words, visa conditions are limitations to the things one can and cannot do when holding a particular visa.

What does breaching visa conditions mean?

Breaching visa conditions simply means breaking or not following the conditions mentioned on the visa. This is done sometimes out of ignorance but often it is intentional. Breaching visa conditions can have serious consequences for the visa holder and sometimes for others as well (e.g. the employer)

New Zealand Work Visas

Every year, hundreds of migrants are issued work visas that permit them to work & live in New Zealand. New Zealand work visas generally have certain conditions attached to them like:

• Working for a particular employer
• The location of work
• The role/ position of the visa holder

Post-Study Work Visas, partnership-based work visas and Working Holiday Visas are open work visas that do not have specific work conditions attached to them as they allow you to work for any employer in any location. Employer-assisted work visas like the Essential Skills Work Visa/Accredited Employer Work Visa, Specific Purpose Work Visa, Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa, Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited Visa, Religious Work Visa etc have one or more restrictions attached to them like which employer you can work for, which location you can work in, the role you can carry out etc. Not abiding by any of the conditions results in a breach of the visa conditions.

Many times, Interim Visas (issued between the expiry of one visa and getting a decision on the next visa) have visitor visa conditions instead of work visa conditions attached to them that prevent migrants from working. Often, the migrant worker and the employer do not realize this leading to a breach of visa conditions.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) takes breaching of visa conditions very seriously. The impact of breaching New Zealand work visa conditions falls on both the visa holder (i.e. the employee) and the employer.

Impact of breaching NZ work visa conditions on the employees

Not working for a particular employer or in a particular location or in a particular role, whether intentionally or accidentally, is considered a breach of work visa conditions by INZ. The migrant worker then becomes liable for deportation. This may also impact any future visa applications of the migrant as there would be concerns regarding him/her being a bona fide applicant due to his adverse immigration record.

Impact of breaching NZ work visa conditions on the employers

A migrant worker breaching visa conditions may also prevent his/her employer from hiring migrant workers in the future. As per New Zealand’s immigration instructions, an employer must have a good compliance record. If an employee breaches the employment laws, INZ may raise a concern against that employer.

Employers who do not have a history of compliance i.e. who continue to breach the employment law/visa conditions, are included in the non-compliant employers’ list by the Labour Inspectorate. They may face a problem when supporting other NZ work visa applications.

Change in Visa conditions

It is important to note that if a migrant worker’s circumstances change (E.g. change in employer or work location), their visa may become invalid. In such cases, it is important to inform INZ about the change in circumstances and, if required, apply for a Variation of Condition to prevent any breach of the visa conditions.

Breaching visa conditions must be avoided at all costs. The onus is on both the employee and the employer to ensure that the visa conditions are always adhered to.

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 2021 Resident Visa has generated a lot of curiosity & excitement amongst migrants in New Zealand since its announcement last September. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is using the enhanced Immigration Online System for people applying for the new Resident Visa.

INZ has now announced the details of the process that will be followed to request documents from applicants, which will constitute sending an email to the applicant/ LIA when application processing commences informing what evidence and documents an applicant need to provide.

The supporting documents page in the online account will show which documents are required for the assessment of your application to continue.

Once the documents are submitted, INZ will continue to process the application. They will email if further information is required.

Documents you will need to supply

You will need to supply a copy of the bio page of your passport or travel document for yourself and any family members included in the application.

You will also need to supply documents based on the criteria you have applied under – settled, skilled or scarce.

Settled criteria:

• Evidence of your employment (optional)
• Evidence of your remuneration (optional)

Skilled criteria:

• Evidence of your employment (mandatory). This must be an employment agreement or letter from the employer stating your pay and hours. It must show your pay and hours at the time you applied as well as on 29 September 2021
• Evidence of your remuneration (mandatory). This must be a full bank statement or a current payslip or a summary of income from Inland Revenue.
• Evidence of COVID-related impacts (optional – if your pay rate or hours of work have been impacted by COVID-19)

Scarce criteria:

• Evidence of your employment (mandatory). This must be an employment agreement or a letter from the employer confirming your job and hours. It must show your job and hours at the time you applied as well as on 29 September 2021.
• Evidence of your remuneration (optional)
• Evidence of occupational registration (optional – if your job requires registration. If we haven’t seen evidence of your registration in a previous application, then you must provide it.)
• Evidence of COVID-related impacts (if your pay rate or hours of work have been impacted by COVID-19)

Critical Purpose criteria

• Evidence of occupational registration (if your Critical Purpose Visa was granted for the purpose of completing a Nursing Competency Assessment Programme)

In addition to the above, you may be required to submit other documents as well such as evidence of previous visa refusals, military service or exemption records, relationship-based documents etc.

The important thing to remember is to ensure that the documents you submit are sufficient and accurate to demonstrate that you meet the instruction required for the specific criteria that you have applied under.

If you have still not applied for the 2021 Resident Visa or have any questions or doubts after lodging your application, please do not hesitate to contact Immigration Advisers New Zealand Ltd at  contact@nzimmigration.info or call us on +64 09 3790219

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