Immigration New Zealand has just announced that they will be granting open work rights to partners of Work Visa holders. This is great news for employers.
Partners of workers are essential to New Zealand’s workforce stability. They help fill critical roles in sectors like healthcare and education, which face skills shortages, while also supporting balanced immigration by enabling families to settle and thrive together in New Zealand.
Under current policy, many partners of workers have restrictions requiring them to only work for an Accredited Employer, earning at least the median wage ($29.66) or the relevant immigration wage threshold for the role.
As alluded last week by Hon Erica Stanford, the Minister for Immigration, the government has recognised that the current policy not only places restrictions on employers looking to access skilled workers but has also caused distress for families.
Below is a summary of the latest announcement and what the changes mean. Get in touch anytime if your team needs clarification.
Understanding the latest announcement
What is changing?
From 2 December 2024, changes in policy will mean the following Work Visa holders will be able to support their partners in applying for Partner of Worker Work Visas with open work rights: –
- AEWV holders working in an ANZSCO Level 1-3 role and paid at least $25.29 an hour.
- All AEWV holders earning at least $25.29 an hour if they were already supporting a partner for a work visa on 26 June 2024.
- AEWV holders working in an ANZSCO Level 4-5 role on the Green List or covered by the Transport or Care Workforce Sector Agreements, and earning at least the wage thresholds for residence.
- AEWV holders working in an ANZSCO Level 4-5 role and paid at least 1.5 times the median wage.
- Essential Skills Work Visa holders earning at least $25.29 an hour.
What are Open Work Visa conditions?
Open Work Visa conditions on a Partner Work Visa mean the visas will not have restrictions to only work for an accredited employer and be earning within an immigration pay threshold. They may work for any employer, without a specific immigration wage threshold.
Where to from here for employers?
This is a huge opportunity to get access to overseas talent or those already on shore who will soon become available to employ without wage restrictions.
If you currently employ a partner of a Work Visa holder, we can check their eligibility and help you apply to INZ to have their conditions removed.
How do you obtain an Open Work Visa?
This is not an automatic grant and we recommend you seek assistance and have us check if workers qualify first in order to save money and get the best outcome.
We can start preparing now to apply for a variation of conditions so you can make the most of this change.
Get in touch with us to talk through your options.
