Latest immigration changes and announcements

Immigration policy and visa rules constantly change. Malcolm Pacific Immigration keeps ahead of any changes. The latest headlines are...

• A new work visa just opened for seasonal workers. This allows people to come to New Zealand and work for up to 9 months in "seasonal work" (for example ski instructors, wine makers, jet boat operators etc). Employers need to be accredited, advertise the job, pay at least $29.66 per hour and guarantee not less than 30 hours of work each week.

• The dairy industry gets a temporary reprieve around certain work visa requirements. Applications for Accredited Employer Work Visas (AEWV) for dairy cattle farm workers/farmers and job checks will be fast-tracked until 01/09/2024. Dairy workers who applied for an AEWV between 07/04/2024 and 02/08/2024 are exempt from the minimum skills threshold and English language requirements.

• Skilled Residence applications may be declined if more information is requested by an Immigration Officer and is not provided within 10 working days. Around 50% of residence applications are not complete at the time they are lodged. This puts people at higher risk of failure if key evidence cannot be provided in time.

• Transit Visa applications have moved online.

• From 14/09/2024 Fijian citizens can transit through New Zealand by applying for and being granted a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) before arrival. This is only for Fijians who transit through Auckland on the way to or from Fiji. There is no transit facility in Wellington or Christchurch. This does not apply to Fijians who want to visit, study or work in New Zealand.

• Most Visitor Visas, for people from non-visa waiver countries, will now receive their first visa valid for 3 months unless there is good reason to restrict the timeframe.  Visitors may spend up to 9 months in New Zealand within an 18-month period with certain visa conditions. With a multiple-entry visa, a person can visit New Zealand as a tourist as many times as they want and stay for up to 6 months in a 12-month period. To stay for more than 6 months, you will likely be issued a single entry visa. This lets you enter New Zealand once and stay for up to 9 months in an 18-month period. Anyone who wants to stay longer should take advice – sooner rather than later.

• From late October 2024, children aged 17 to 24 included in their parent's skilled residence application or their own dependent child residence application will gain work rights. The residence application needs to have been lodged, and the child must hold an eligible visitor visa, and be the child of a NZ citizen/resident or work visa holder and have completed high school (if 17 years old) or be aged 18 to 24 years old. Work rights will be granted for 20 hours a week or 40 hours a week over the summer holidays. More detail to follow in the next newsletter.

• The rules around occupations on the Green List requiring occupational registration to qualify for residence or a work visa have been clarified. When the Green List sets out a specific type of occupational registration is required then the registration document needs to clearly show that type of registration is held by the visa applicant (e.g. an Oncologist must hold either general, provisional or vocational registration from the Medical Council). When the Green List does not set out a specific type of registration (e.g. a Medical Laboratory Technician requires "registration from the Medical Sciences of NZ") then Immigration NZ will check if the registration lawfully allows someone to work in that occupation in NZ and that no further training is required to gain full registration. If these boxes are all ticked then an unspecified type of registration would be acceptable. However, not all forms of registration are equal and there is the risk of getting it wrong– take advice.

If you have any questions or concerns about these changes contact our team today.