In response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other climatic disturbances in the North Island, the Government has introduced a new visa program designed for specialist migrant workers needed to aid recovery efforts. This initiative will help strengthen New Zealand's ability to rebuild from the latest catastrophic events.
The Recovery Visa (a Specific Purpose Work Visa), will allow employers to sponsor migrants to come to New Zealand for a specific event or purpose, including working on an emergency response. Details about the visa:
How to apply: Step 1 - Employer finds migrant worker/s that meet the requirements to assist with the recovery Step 2 - Employer downloads and completes the Recovery Visa – Employer Supplementary form and provides this to the migrant worker Step 3 – Migrant worker completes a Specific Purpose Work visa application, uploads/attaches the Recovery Visa – Employer Supplementary Form and specifies length of stay in New Zealand as 6 months or less Step 4 - Immigration New Zealand (INZ) processes application and provides applicant with a decision Employers who seek to hire migrant workers for extended periods are advised to utilize the current Accredited Employer Work Visa. Amendments to this visa are being evaluated to expedite the processing of designated positions that will aid in the restoration and reconstruction efforts. These positions will be exempt from the labor market tests. Migrants who are already in New Zealand and need to switch locations or roles can now do so without worrying about their visa status, as long as they remain employed by the same company. This permission is granted for a period of up to two months. Source: INZ website
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Changes have been made to immigration instructions to:
These changes are effective on and after 27 February 2023. Median wage increase
The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and other New Zealand visa schemes use wage thresholds indexed to the median wage. This means that when the median wage changes, the criteria to grant visas also changes. As announced last year, the median wage will increase to NZD $29.66 on 27 February 2023. This is based on the June rate published by Stats NZ the last year. Wage thresholds must be met at the job check and visa application stages of the AEWV process. AEWV Job checks If the pay range approved in the job check is below the new wage threshold, the job check can still be used to support a visa application. The employer does not need to readvertise or submit a new job check. All job checks submitted from 27 February must meet the new threshold. AEWV applications All AEWV applications submitted from 27 February must meet the new threshold. Employers must pay AEWV holders at least the wage specified in an approved application. Industry sector agreements The median wage increase will affect the wage thresholds for the construction and infrastructure, meat processing, onshore seafood processing and seasonal snow and adventure tourism sector agreements. Residence visas Residence visa categories and pathways with median wage-related criteria will also be updated. This includes the Green List and Highly Paid pathways, and the Skilled Migrant Category. The income thresholds for sponsors in the Parent Category will be updated before the May 2023 EOI Parent category selection. A Malaysian mother of 4 Kiwi children has been denied a residency visa due to her partner's history of sponsoring two other foreign partners. This situation highlights the complexities of New Zealand's immigration laws and the impact they can have on families.
Sharon Choo, 40, is originally from Malaysia. She is married to Barry Eade, 56, a New Zealand citizen and they have four children aged between 5 and 12. Ms Choo has been living with uncertainty about her future in NZ since moving to NZ four years ago. As per her, it has been “unsettling” and a “daily torture” not knowing if she can be with her children and watch them grow up. She submitted a residence visa application under the partnership category to INZ in February 2021 and a decision was made in July 2022 to decline the application as she did not meet the requirements to be granted a residence visa. It was because her partner, Barry Eade, has previously supported two successful residence visa applications under the partner category and is, therefore, unable to support her application. Nicola Hogg, INZ’s general manager for border and visa operations said that under current immigration instructions, for a New Zealand partner to be eligible to support a partnership residence visa application, they must not have acted as a partner in more than one previous successful residence class application. Ms Choo was granted an interim visa while she waited for the outcome of her work visa under the partnership category, which added to a feeling of uncertainty. Interim visas are granted when an applicant’s current visa is due to expire before a decision is made on their new visa application. Ms Choo, who currently works as a cleaner, holds a valid work visa and will be able to remain in NZ for the duration of her work visa, which is until October 2024. The family moved to NZ from Malaysia for their children’s schooling. Talking about his eldest son attending a Chinese school in Malaysia, Eade said “The schooling was very forceful when it came to learning. School starts at 7.30 am to 1.30 pm, and the afternoon is littered with different tuitions.” Since moving to Auckland and attending Silverdale Primary, Eade said, his eldest son, Sebastian has shown more interest to learn and also has time “to be a kid”. Their third son also has mild autism and may not receive the same level of support in Malaysia as he does in New Zealand. Source: https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/malaysian-mum-kiwi-kids-denied-residency-visa Due to extreme weather events caused by Cyclone Gabrielle this week, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has made the decision to defer this month’s Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Expression of Interest (EOI) selection for one week. The selection will now take place on Wednesday 22 February 2023.
The change to this month’s selection is a one-off for SMC EOI applicants that have been impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle. People may be experiencing problems such as power outages, internet connectivity issues, or displacement from their homes due to flooding. Please ensure your EOIs are submitted in time for next week’s draw. The March 2023 selection will resume as normal next month. Since New Zealand’s international borders reopened in August 2022, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has received 25,471 student visa applications from international students outside of New Zealand. INZ has decided 17,601 of these applications, with more than half of decisions made in under four weeks. (Figures current as at 10pm on 30 January 2023)
Updated reporting INZ is improving the way it publicly reports on processing times for different visa categories. They now publish the processing times for applications decided in the previous month, instead of the previous three months. The website illustrates the median number of days, along with the actual number of days it takes to process 90% of applications. These new metrics give a good indication of what customers can expect, regardless of the complexity of their application. Check out the updated processing times here: How long it takes to process a visa application HERE Apply for visas at least 8 weeks ahead of intended travel date New Zealand is in the middle of our student processing peak period. You can apply up to three or four months ahead of intended travel if you wish, however please ensure that applications are applied for at a minimum of 8 weeks ahead of intended travel date. INZ generally processes applications in date order and the course start date is also taken into consideration. INZ appreciate that students are keen to have their travel bookings confirmed given the cost of flights and flight route limitations, however INZ recommends that students do not confirm travel bookings until a visa has been granted. If students still wish to book travel ahead of a visa decision, we recommend that they explore flexi travel dates or refundable tickets. Student visa checklists The student visa checklist is key to submitting a complete student visa application that has the information we need to make a decision. We update the visa checklists regularly, so be sure to use the web link rather than download the checklist. The first time international students visa checklist was last updated in December 2022. Source: INZ website The next selection for the Parent Resident Visa Category expressions of interest (EOIs) will take place on 14 February 2023.
Increase in number of EOIs to be selected For the next selection, INZ will be selecting 1100 EOIs, which is an increase from the 370 selected previously. This is good news for people in the queue as selections may happen earlier than originally estimated. The larger selection number is because many people in the previously selected EOIs did not meet the requirements to be invited to apply. A majority of those not invited to apply included a declaration of sponsor income lower than the current requirement. EOI selection information The number of EOIs selected each quarter will continue to be adjusted as more data about the rate at which EOIs turn into approved visas becomes available. February and May 2023 selections will only be from the queue of EOIs submitted before 12 October 2022 and will be selected in date order. From August 2023, EOIs submitted on and after 12 October 2022 will be included in the selection. These will be selected by a random ballot. An updated estimate of when EOIs are likely to be selected is available on INZ website. Next steps Please make sure EOIs meet the requirements of the category and are updated or withdrawn before selection. Update details To update their details, complete sections A1 to A5 and any other information that has changed in the EOI update form which can be found HERE and e-mail this to [email protected]. Up-to-date EOI information will reduce delays in issuing an invitation to apply if it meets the criteria. Withdraw an EOI and request a refund To withdraw an expression of interest (EOI) and request a fee refund, fill out the form in the link below and email this to [email protected]. Refunds are normally only considered for EOIs withdrawn before the selection takes place. If a person does not meet the requirements of the category, it is better to withdraw the EOI before it is selected. INZ is aware that some onshore visitor visa holders have not had their interim visa generated, causing some visa holders to go temporarily unlawful. This has occurred because INZ is currently experiencing a high volume of applications that require manual resolution, in particular for visitor visas.
INZ is working to resolve this as quickly as possible and want to assure customers that they are working quickly to remedy the situation. If an applicant is concerned about their visa status and they have not had an interim visa issued, they can contact Immigration Contact Centre to discuss this. The 2023 reopening dates for capped Working Holiday Schemes have now been confirmed.
Once each scheme opens, applications will remain open until the quota is filled. Once filled, the scheme will close until 2024. Spain and Vietnam In 2022 the Prime Minister of New Zealand and the President of Spain agreed changes to increase the Spain WHS cap from 200 to 2,000 and allow the visa holder to work for the full 12-month duration of the visa. Similarly, the New Zealand Government and the Government of Vietnam agreed changes to increase the Vietnam WHS cap from 100 to 200. Work is under way to have formal agreements in place to allow these changes to be implemented. Further information will be announced once opening dates for the Spain and Vietnam schemes can be confirmed. The table below and on our website shows the date each scheme will open, as well as the number of places available in each scheme for 2023. This month marks an exciting development in the Welcoming Communities programme, with five new regions and Councils across New Zealand joining the initiative. This is a major step forward in creating more open and inclusive environments for all who call this country home.
General Manager of Refugee and Migrant Services Fiona Whiteridge announced today that the Whangārei District, Kaipara District, Hutt City, Porirua City, and Timaru District Council are the new additions to the programme for 2023. Their involvement follows 11 Councils joining the programme in 2022. “Welcoming Communities – Te Waharoa ki ngā Hapori - is a settlement programme helping local councils and their communities create welcoming and inclusive environments for newcomers. It also benefits New Zealanders returning home or moving from other parts of the country” says Ms Whiteridge. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) enables participating councils to maximize their potential by providing resources, accreditation, best practice materials and more. Additionally, INZ facilitates connection-building through networking opportunities as well plus evaluation of the success of programmes while offering guidance along the way. The latest additions mean there are now 31 Councils and associated regions across New Zealand that are part of Welcoming Communities. Nationally one third of city and district councils are now committed to making their communities more welcoming for everyone. “The new sign-ups show how strong the programme is and we are grateful for the enthusiasm and desire from Councils around the country to be part of such an important initiative that began five years ago,” says Ms Whiteridge. “I would also like to thank all those who have worked hard to get Councils and communities on board.” “This programme is an incredibly important tool for building strong and connected communities, and for making newcomers feel included, so everyone can thrive.” INZ will now work with the new councils and communities to help them gain formal Welcoming Communities accreditation. Source: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/media-centre/news-notifications/five-new-councils-in-the-welcoming-communities-family |