Steve Baker, Workforce Planner and Licensed Immigration Advisor outlines the governments recent immigration and visa announcements
Please see further details below from Immigration New Zealand about the new visa changes that will affect onshore migrants and their employers.
The key changes are:
Employer-assisted work visas extended by 6 months.
Employer-assisted visas expiring from 1 January 2021 to 30 June 2021 (inclusive) will be automatically extended by another 6 months.
Visas held by their partners and dependent children will also be extended. Visa holders will receive confirmation of the extension from Immigration New Zealand by March 2021.
This applies to the following visas:
Lower-paid essential skills visa stand-down delayed for 12 months .
The introduction of the stand-down period will be delayed until January 2022. The stand down period means that the Essential Skills visa holders earning less that the median wage must leave New Zealand after three years for one-year before they can return.
Working Holiday Visas extended by 6 months.
Working Holiday Visas that expire from 21 December 2020 to 30 June 2020 (inclusive) will be extended for 6 months. Conditions will be varied to allow the holders to continue in any employment that is not permanent in any sector until their visa expires. Any time limit on total work for one employer will no longer apply.
From 21 December 2020, Working Holiday Visa holders will no longer be transferred to the Supplementary Seasonal Employment (SSE) work visa when their Working Holiday visa expires. Migrant workers already on an SSE Visa can still choose to work in the horticulture and viticulture sectors, or apply for an Essential Skills visa if they find alternate qualifying work. 2019 median wage in effect until July 2021
Immigration New Zealand will continue to use the 2019 median wage of $25.50 to determine visa conditions until at least July 2021, at which point it will rise to $27 an hour.