With the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 just around the corner, changes have been made to immigration instructions to allow people participating in the tournament to undertake work related to the event while holding a visitor visa. This includes people from visa waiver countries who hold NZeTAs.
The new instructions will make it easier for those involved in the tournament to obtain the necessary visas and work permits, and will allow them to stay in New Zealand for a period of time.
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Latest information on Visitor and Student Visa applicationsImmigration New Zealand (INZ) continues to see high volumes of temporary visa applications since borders were fully opened from 31 July. As getting visitors into the country is important to families, the tourism industry and NZ regions, INZ is working hard to process applications as quickly as possible. INZ is dedicated to building up its capabilities to meet the demand. Through both people and technology, INZ is increasing its capacity to process applications rapidly. In addition, a dedicated team is exploring ways to further accelerate processing times and deliver a positive customer experience. Anyone travelling to New Zealand must complete a New Zealand Travel Declaration. More information can be found on the New Zealand Travel Declaration website. Visitor VisaStudent VisaThe latest on 2021 Resident visaApplications for the 2021 Resident Visa (2021 RV) closed on 31 July 2022. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has approved more than 50 per cent of applications received since December 2021 when the category opened. INZ is committed to processing applications as quickly as possible and aim have the vast majority of the remaining applications decided by June 2023. The time it takes to process an application depends on a number of factors, including third party checks, how long it takes for each processing task to be completed, whether manual assessment is needed, or whether there is pending from an applicant. As a result, the order in which an application was released for processing does not determine the order that the application will be approved. StatisticsApplication process
The latest news on Accredited Employer work visaAll three stages of the new Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) policy are live, with applications open for employer accreditation, job checks and work visas. Applications for all three stages are being made on the new enhanced Immigration Online platform. The AEWV policy is an employer-led work visa approach, which is new to employers and requires a different process to be followed to hire migrant workers. While INZ is working hard to support customers and train its staff, this takes time, and as with any new immigration policy and technology, there are always some initial issues that need to be ironed out. There have been some hurdles, but where issues have occurred, INZ has worked to identify and resolve these as quickly as possible. To assist employers as they adjust to the new AEWV process and recognising the impact COVID-19 has had on the New Zealand workforce, INZ has reviewed the AEWV application process to ensure it is quick and easy for employers to access the migrant workers they need. StatisticsProcessing updateProcessing of Accredited Employer Work Visa applicationsFollowing a recent system upgrade, all applications for Accredited Employer Work Visas (AEWV) received since Sunday, 18 September 2022 will now be processed in the enhanced Immigration Online system and take advantage of enhancements that allow for quicker processing.
Since 4 July, when the AEWV opened, applications for AEWVs have been partially processed in the AMS system to allow INZ to complete further testing of the enhanced system. Applications received before 18 September will continue to be processed in this way. It is INZ’s aim to be able to process complete, decision-ready applications within 20 working days. INZ encourages applicants to provide supporting documentation or requested information as soon as they are able to, to ensure that applications can progress through their system to a decision as quickly as possible. Users of the enhanced system can also refer to the User Guide for support with making an application. Changes to passport requirements for temporary visasImmigration New Zealand has received a large number of applications for temporary visas since New Zealand’s international borders fully reopened on 31 July.
The volume has been much greater than forecast and INZ acknowledges there have been delays in processing some visitor visa applications. INZ has taken steps to introduce some changes to improve the ability to manage the increased number of applications. They have temporarily removed the requirement for most applicants to provide a physical passport. Applicants still need to submit a high-quality scanned copy of their passport with their applications, but in most cases, they will not need to provide their physical passports. There will still be some instances where an Immigration Officer will ask an applicant to submit their physical passport to their nearest Visa Application Centre because it is needed to process their application. This will be done on a case-by-case basis. INZ will monitor the impact of this change to make sure it is helping us process applications without causing any significant issues and will confirm if this is to continue in the long term. Applicants applying for a student visa or group visitor visa through the Immigration Online form will receive an automated letter asking for a passport to be submitted – however, this is not required. To clarify, the passport waiver applies to all temporary visa applicants – so student, work, and visitor etc. The letters are being updated overnight in INZ's system and will be operational for Saturday. In the meantime, if you receive a letter for a temporary visa application telling you to send the passport for a scan then please ignore it. New Active Investor Plus visa
The new Active Investor Plus visa category opened for applications on Monday 19 September 2022. This new visa category is made to attract skilled and experienced high-value investors to New Zealand. The Active Investor Plus visa replaces the previous Investor 1 and Investor 2 categories, which closed in July 2022. INZ is continuing to process all applications which were in progress when those categories closed. Weighting for acceptable direct investments INZ will make immigration decisions on applications and assess whether investors are meeting the conditions of their visa. New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) will advise which investments are acceptable and provide support services to investors. The Active Investor Plus visa will be using a weighting system to encourage direct investment and attract active investor migrants who will help New Zealand’s economy grow. Acceptable investments are New Zealand entities that contribute to the Government’s economic strategy by being high growth potential firms or by having positive social and environmental impacts. Depending on the type of active investment, the weighting system is:
People with this new visa will be able to invest over a three-year investment period (and maintain their investments up to the end of a fourth year). They will need to spend at least 117 days in New Zealand during those four years. There will be limited scope for passive investment by imposing a cap on listed equities. Holders of an Active Investor Plus visa will need to have IELTS 5 or equivalent (a moderate level of English language skills). Changes have been made to immigration instructions to introduce the Active Investor Plus category, which opens on 19 September 2022.
The objective of the Active Investor Plus visa category is to attract skilled and experienced active investors to help build globally successful New Zealand businesses that align with Government’s objectives, by providing resident visas to those who wish to participate in New Zealand’s investment ecosystem and make a significant contribution to New Zealand's economy. With case numbers falling, a highly vaccinated population, and increased access to antiviral medicines to treat COVID-19, public health experts say it is safe to remove most COVID-19 rules and end border restrictions.
Please note that the following still apply:
Isolation and face masks From 13 September you must still:
Household Contacts Household Contacts no longer need to isolate for 7 days. If you live with someone who tests positive for COVID-19, you are recommended to:
Antiviral medicines Antiviral medicines are available for people at risk of becoming very sick with COVID-19, including:
Vaccine mandatesAll government vaccine mandates will end at 11:59 pm, 26 September 2022. Some employers may still require workers to be vaccinated due to health and safety. Travel requirementsTravellers and crew do not need proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter New Zealand. Please check with your travel provider, for example your airline, as they may still require proof of vaccination. People entering New Zealand will be given free RATs. They are encouraged to test on the day of arrival and on day 5 or 6, and accordingly report any positive RAT results. Changes have been made to the following immigration instructions:
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