Immigration

What is a Permanent Resident visa A New Zealand Permanent Resident visa is valid for life. It allows you to travel in and out of New Zealand unrestricted, is not subject to travel conditions, and does not expire. In most cases, people first hold a Resident visa for 2 years, before they are able to remove their travel conditions and obtain Permanent Residency. Who is eligible for Permanent Residency You are eligible if you have held a resident visa for …

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Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! New Zealand Shores offices will be closed from Friday 22nd December and will reopen on Monday 8th January 2024.Only urgent emails and visa approvals will be addressed over the break, via [email protected]. Immigration New Zealand branches will generally close from 24 December and reopen on 3rd January. We wish you all a safe holiday!

AEWV extension process announced For Accredited Employer Work Visa applications submitted from 27 November, the maximum duration of the approved visa increases from 3 to 5 years. Accredited Employers may support existing employees on shorter AEWV to apply for their visa balance. AEWV holders’ partners and dependent children may apply for an extension of their temporary visas, in line with the AEWV holder. Key information Do extensions cost anything? The usual government application fees apply. New Zealand Shores offers preferential …

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Kia ora! The new National Government elected last week has campaigned on making positive changes to the economy by “attracting top talent” from offshore, “reviving international education, and supporting startups”. We can therefore expect this Government and new Prime Minister Chris Luxon to roll up their sleeves and implement changes that will facilitate recruitment of offshore talents. “Attracting the best and brightest to New Zealand, whatever their field, has real potential for innovation and growth across the economy” MP Erica …

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Median wage increase Immigration periodically reviews the salary thresholds that are used for certain visa categories, based on Statistics New Zealand’s data, updated yearly. After initially deciding to increase the median wage used in the calculation of salary threshold for visa applications, the Government has decided to pause this increase for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). This means the median wage will remain at $29.66 per hour until further notice. What are current salary thresholds for AEWV? All current …

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0Background on Work to Residence visa categories Migrants working under certain occupations featuring on the Green List Work to Residence visa category can seek residence upon securing a job offer (Tier 1) or after working for 2 years in New Zealand (Tier 2). This list gets reviewed periodically as skills in critical shortage are being identified. More on Green list pathways 10 new roles added Seventeen roles are being added to the Green List from March 2024. These roles are …

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New Zealand remains an extremely popular destination! New Zealand is still proving to be a popular migration destination with migration numbers reaching almost pre-covid levels in the 12 months since the border reopened. New Zealand has experienced a net migration of 86,600 people in the year June 2022 – June 2023 which is almost near the 2019-2020 record of 91,700 people. Citizens of India, the Philippines, China, South Africa and Fiji were the top five migration groups in this period. …

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Maximum AEWV duration extended Accredited Employer Work Visas (AEWV) approved from 27 November 2023 will be granted for up to 5 years (only 3 currently). This will only apply for applicants who are offered at least median wage. These five years can be on one AEWV or multiple AEWVs of shorter durations. If you are reaching the end of your AEWV and you are not on a pathway to residence, you will have to leave New Zealand and spend 12 …

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Background on Work to Residence visa categories Migrants working under the Care Workforce and Transport Sector Agreements and the Green List Work to Residence visa categories have a pathway to residence if they work in New Zealand for 2 years and meet certain eligibility requirements (depending on their occupation). These residence categories will open for applications on 29 September 2023. More on Sector agreement pathways More on Green list pathways Why this is an important change Before the update Under previous …

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