Goodbye 2021. What does 2022 have in store?

This has been a challenging year on multiple fronts as Covid disrupts almost every aspect of our life. There has been constant immigration policy change throughout this year and we predict more to come in 2022.

We have summarised key dates of policy decisions that roll out in 2022.

• January 16. Fully vaccinated Kiwis plus certain other travellers entering NZ from Australia can skip MIQ.
• February 13. Fully vaccinated Kiwis plus certain other travellers entering NZ from the rest of the world* can skip MIQ.
• April 30. The border starts a phased reopen to fully vaccinated foreign nationals.
• April 30. The Productivity Commission reports back to the government on immigration settings.
• May 9. Applications open for mandatory Employer Accreditation.
• July 4. Applications open for the new Accredited Employer Work Visa.
• July 31. Applications for the 2021 Resident Visa close.
• August. Skilled Migrant Residence category scheduled to reopen.
• August. A new pathway to residence for people earning 200% or more of the median wage.

*Excludes high-risk countries.

New Zealand citizens, residents, migrant workers, and their families will be watching closely to see what 2022 decisions are made to facilitate family reunions, pathways to residence and work opportunities. Questions waiting for answers are:

• When will the Parent residence category reopen? It is not on any priority list that we are aware of.
• What visa categories get priority when the border starts to reopen in late April?
• The impact of the High Court ruling on the decision to suspend the processing of residence applications for people offshore. The court found it was unlawful to stop processing applications lodged before the border closed. How will Immigration NZ decide what applications they start processing first?
• Will work rights for international students and partners of migrant workers be limited or cut altogether?
• Will the tertiary education sector secure approval to start attracting international students from offshore?
• What do changes from the review of the Skilled Migrant Category look like?

We will keep you posted as we learn more next year.

Happy holidays

Our team are taking a well-deserved break from 24 December and are back in the office from Monday, 10 January 2022.

If you need urgent immigration advice over the holidays simply call us on 0800 800 612 to be connected to one of our licensed immigration advisers.

From all our team, we wish you and your family the very best for a happy, safe, and relaxing holiday season.