Author: admin

Essential Skills Work Visa is one of the temporary work visas which allows people to work in New Zealand. This visa category is available to anyone offered full-time employment (30+ hours) in New Zealand and can meet a few other essential eligibility criteria.

Who can apply for Essential Skills work visa?

You can apply for an Essential Skills Work Visa if you have a job offer from a New Zealand employer and have relevant qualifications and work experience as per the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSO) to work in that occupation. However, in most cases, your employer must conduct a Labour Market Test (LMT) to ascertain whether any New Zealand citizens or residents are available for the position.

If you are currently outside New Zealand, you can apply for an Essential Skills Work Visa only if you have a job offer from a New Zealand employer and your occupation meets the critical purpose criteria.

LMT is mandatory if you change your job, employer, and/or region. However, your employer does not have to conduct a labour market test if the occupation is in one of the Essential Skill Demand List ( ESDL) and your qualification & experience match.

However, suppose you have a job offer in an occupation on one of the ESDL and your qualifications and experience match. In that case, your employer does not have to conduct a labour market test and provide evidence of attempting to recruit New Zealanders.

What is the duration of the Essential Skills work visa?

The duration of visa usually depends on how long you have been offered employment and the wage rate. If your wages are at or above the New Zealand median wage, which is $27 at present, and if all other requirements are met, you may be granted a visa with a duration of up to 3 years.

However, if your proposed salary is less than the median wage, you must check whether the position is listed in the oversupply list or the undersupply list. Suppose the position is not listed in one of these lists. In that case, your employer must provide the Skills Match Report in addition to conducting the labour market test to ascertain whether there are any New Zealand citizens or residents available for the position. If all requirements are met, you may be granted a visa with a duration of up to 2 years.

What is Skills Match Report (SMR)?

A Skills Match Report is a document produced by Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) and submitted with a Work Visa Application under the Essential Skills Category (and other related visa categories). A SMR has information about the role, whether any NZ resident/citizen was referred to the employer and the reasons provided by the employer for rejecting any candidates, if any.

What are the recent changes made to the Essential Skills Work Visa application?

INZ has streamlined the Essential Skills Work visa process where a person continues in the same position for the same employer in the same region; then, the labour market test is no longer a mandatory requirement. The duration of the visa will be the same as mentioned above. The employer does not have to provide the Skills Match Report where the salary is below the median wage. Applicants and employers will be able to make declarations instead of providing evidence that the requirements are met. To be eligible for this (the removal of labour market test and evidence requirements), the applicant must hold one of the following visas:

• Any type of work visa (including a Working Holiday Visa)
• A student visa that has unlimited work rights (i.e., to study masters or PhD degree)
• A Critical Purpose visitor visa granted as a critical health worker or granted for more than six months as an ‘other critical worker’.

Your partner and dependent children may be able to apply separately for visas based on their relationship with you. For example, partners may be eligible for a partnership-based work visa or a partnership-based visitor visa, depending on your proposed salary. Likewise, dependent children may be eligible for a student visa or visitor visa depending on the child’s age and whether you meet the income threshold.

Note: this visa will be replaced by the Accredited Employer Work Visa form mid-2022.

Additional information

Essential Skills visa does not allow self-employment, but you can study for up to 3 months in any 12 months or do any study required as part of your employment.

If you have an Essential Skills work visa based on a skilled job, you may gain enough points to qualify for Residence Visa under the Skilled Migrant Category.

If you would like to know more about the Essential Skills Work Visa process, assessment criteria, and the pitfalls that you should be aware of, please call us today on +64 9 379 0219 or email contact@nzimmigration.info

“Agriculture was the first occupation of man, and as it embraces the whole earth, it is the foundation of all other industries.”

An Overview of Agriculture

The farming sector produces a vast number of horticultural, dairy, and meat products consumed locally and overseas. New Zealand is one of the world’s largest exporters of dairy products as well as sheep meat. Increasing exports usually result in growing employment. As a result, the agriculture industry provides job opportunities for thousands of New Zealanders.

Scope of Agriculture in New Zealand

New Zealand is the world’s 12th largest agricultural exporter by value. Agriculture and forestry are among New Zealand’s powerhouse industries. With immense scope in this sector, one needs to learn to produce high-value food products. Technological Innovation has improved the productivity of work to serve the new markets and needs. It has jobs for both technical and knowledgeable personnel.

New Zealand’s primary sectors are facing significant workforce challenges. So, skilled workers are particularly in demand.

Study Pathway

Agriculture in the backbone of New Zealand’s economy, including processing and commercialisation activities. It accounts for 11 per cent of the GDP and 15 per cent of the employment rate.

Two NZ universities are ranked in the top 100 for agriculture and forestry in the QS World University Rankings, proving how much they value the primary sector. Students have unbeatable opportunities to gain hands-on experience on farms and research centres and through case studies, field trips and tours.

You can spend time outdoors, in close contact with nature, and further your studies with educational options right through to in-depth research at the Masters level. In addition, working while studying can be an excellent way to gain New Zealand work experience and help you while studying abroad.

Student visa holders may work up to 20 hours per week and full-time during scheduled holidays, depending on their programme of study. Masters by research or PhD students may work full-time throughout their studies. You can study up to three consecutive programmes over five years on a single Pathway Student Visa.

Career Prospects

Gone are the days when careers in agriculture only meant toiling under the sun while waiting for your crops to grow. Nowadays, the field has advanced in so many ways that numerous opportunities have sprouted over time, giving young people plenty of options to pick from.

Pastoral farming aka livestock farming, is huge in New Zealand. It is aimed at producing livestock rather than growing crops. It includes dairy cattle farming, sheep farming, pig farming, beef farming, poultry farming etc.

The two important components of New Zealand agriculture are beef and dairy cattle. Dairy farms are found throughout the country.

After pastoral farming, the next most important type of farming is horticulture the growing of fruits and vegetables. New Zealand’s climate is suitable for growing fruits like kiwifruit, apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries etc. Grape growing, especially for the production of wine is an important part of the horticulture industry.

There are many jobs one can choose from:

• Beef Cattle Farmer/ Farm Manager
• Dairy Cattle Farmer / Assistant Farm Manager
• Pig Farmer / Manager or Assistant Farm Manager
• Winemaker/Viticulturalist
• Apiarist
• Arborist

The roles mentioned above are also included in the Skills Shortage lists.

‘Agritech‘ is a potential up-and-coming sector.

Agricultural technology aka agritech has played a significant role in shaping New Zealand’s economic history and is responsible for increasing productivity, quality and sustainability of production and supply in New Zealand. Improvement in technology helps with effective land use.

The New Zealand Government is giving priority to the Agritech sector due to the commercial, environmental and export potential.

Agritech has the following benefits-

• Improving sustainability & productivity of the primary sector like agriculture, horticulture
• Growing high-value exports
• Contributing to global challenges like the increasing food demand

Check out these job-search websites. They might help to get you thinking about industries you may not have considered.

• New Kiwis – a recruitment service linking NZ employers with skilled migrants, offshore and onshore
• Seek– NZ’s largest general job website
• Trade Me – NZ’s most popular website with a large job section

As you can see, the agricultural sector in New Zealand has various options to choose from. Come to New Zealand to learn more about the agricultural sector and develop a career in this stream.

What are you waiting for?

Contact Immigration Adviser New Zealand Ltd at contact@nzimmigration.info or call on +64 09 3790219 to know about the eligibility criteria and list of universities/institutes offering courses in the Agricultural sector.

“Hospitality is simply an opportunity to show love and care”

An Overview of Hospitality and Tourism

Hospitality is the act of kindness in welcoming and looking after the basic needs of customers. The hospitality industry can be broken down into three basic areas: Accommodations, Food and Beverage, Travel and Tourism. Hospitality primarily involves addressing customer satisfaction and catering to the needs of guests.

Tourism entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes.

Scope of Hospitality and Management in New Zealand

Hospitality and tourism management jobs are one of the most exciting ones in the world. Growth opportunity’ should be one of the key factors while choosing a career option. Hospitality and Tourism management jobs help one grow both personally and professionally.

This industry generates a large amount of revenue and jobs, which has a positive influence on the global economy as well as the employment rate. Hospitality and Tourismis one of the best sectors to work in and it pays well too. If you are planning on taking up this course, go right ahead and do it.

Study Pathway

For International students, Hospitality and Tourism courses usually range from Diplomas to Bachelors and also Masters. There are also opportunities for Graduate Diploma and Postgraduate study. Length of study varies depending upon the course selected. The providers could be Universities, Institutes of Technology or Polytechnics (ITP) and Private Training Establishments (PTE).

Skill Development

Hospitality and Tourism recruiters will invest in training a less-experienced candidate if they perceive her/him to possess the right personality and soft skills for the job. The five essential soft skills for careers in hospitality and tourism are –

• Empathy and emotional intelligence
• Teamwork
• Stress and time management
• Problem-solving
• Strategy and innovation

Workers from overseas have always been vital to New Zealand’s tourism and hospitality industry. Even though the New Zealand border is currently restricted, the industry is looking to the future when international tourism resumes and demand for overseas workers is restored.

If you are offered a job which appears on the shortage lists and you have the required qualifications and experience, getting a work visa will be easier. This is because the government has identified that employers’ need to recruit people from overseas to help meet the demand for your skills.
If your job is not on a shortage list, don’t be disheartened. There are other work and resident visa options. Tourism and hospitality jobs on the lists include:

• Chef
• Skydiving instructor
• Snowsport instructor
• Career Prospects

Most jobs in tourism and hospitality will continue to be found in the top tourist destinations- Auckland, Queenstown, Canterbury/Christchurch, Rotorua/Bay of Plenty, and Wellington. However, jobs in this sector are found right around the country.

Demand for tourism workers is highest in summer, which in the southern hemisphere is from December to February.

Some seasonal tourism skills are only needed at certain times of the year. For example, workers in snow sports, such as ski instructors, are needed only in winter which is from June to August.

Check out these job-search websites. They might help to get you thinking about industries you may not have thought of.

• New Kiwis – a recruitment services linking NZ employers with skilled migrants, offshore and onshore.
• Seek– NZ’s largest general job website.
• Trade Me – NZ’s most popular website with a large job section

What are you waiting for? Contact Immigration Adviser New Zealand Ltd at contact@nzimmigration.info or call on +64 09 3790219 to know about the eligibility criteria and list of university/institute offering Hospitality and Tourism courses.

“Learn new skills everyday – IT Field”

“The computer was born to solve problems that did not exist before.”
— Bill Gates

An Overview of IT & Computing Skills

We live in a digital era and computers play an immense role in our lives. This is evident from our increased dependence on computers made especially evident during the Covid 19 pandemic. Modern businesses rely heavily on computerised technology to efficiently complete vast amounts of tasks. Having knowledge about computers gives one an edge over others who lack these skills. This is a field that is dynamic and thus the demand of IT professionals is also high.

IT & Computing courses can help you achieve mastery of basic and advanced computer skills and improves your value in today’s job market. These courses help you to develop skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and practical knowledge.

Scope of IT & Computing Course in New Zealand

New Zealand’s IT sector is diverse and advanced. Top universities and colleges of NZ provide an apt and appropriate platform to the students to start their career in IT. In addition to acquiring an internationally recognised qualification, students are able to have an experience of world class teaching and learning. Students gain an edge in competition by gaining, practical and professional skills and developing IT knowledge. They are thus able to work efficiently in a range of exciting roles. There has been an increase in employers seeking candidates who have completed a course in Information & Technology.

Students get an option to work while studying, which can be an excellent way to gain NZ work experience. A student is allowed to work up to 20 hours per week while pursuing a course of study and full-time during the summer holidays. Masters by research or PhD students may work full-time throughout their studies.

Study Pathway

IT and computing courses usually range from entry level courses to Software Engineering degree course. There are also opportunities for Graduate Diploma and Postgraduate courses. Length of study varies depending upon the course selected. The providers could be Universities, Institutes of Technology or Polytechnics (ITP) or Private Training Establishments (PTE).

Skill Development

Some skills that get developed after successful completion of such courses are appended below:

• Interpersonal skills to work efficiently
• Ability to think critically, evaluate and apply existing knowledge to solve problems and meeting the requirements.
• Enhanced analytical skills
• Ability to operate intelligently and effectively
• Effective planning
• Acquire an ability to work independently and also with groups

Career Prospects

IT professionals are in big demand across the world. It’s a booming business.After successful completion of an international qualification, a wide variety of jobs are available. Some of the skilled job profiles have been appended below.

IT Manager, Project Manager,IT support specialist, database administrator, test analyst, systems administrator, web developer, interactive media developer or software developer/programmer to name a few.

Check out these job-search websites. They might help to get you thinking about industries you may not have thought of.

• Seek
• Careers
• Jobs

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