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Jul 26, 2023

Navigating Immigration New Zealand’s latest announcements

Keeping up to date with INZ’s fast moving policy announcements is crucial for your business planning. Staying on top of these updates will help you understand the impact they may have on your people and help you make informed decisions to enhance your hiring strategies.

Below is a summary of the latest changes. We aim to make these updates as simple as possible but please do get in touch if you would like the below explained in more detail or to discuss how it may impact your organisation.

Summary of the most significant, current INZ updates:

  1. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has made operational and policy changes to simplify the immigration process and improve hiring strategies for employers.
  2. Significant changes to the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa and Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) will take effect from 9 October 2023.
  3. The Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa will have a simplified points system and multiple ways to demonstrate skill levels.
  4. The Accredited Employer Work Visa duration will be extended from 3 years to 5 years from November 2023.
  5. A maximum continuous stay of 5 years will apply to the AEWV – for those without a pathway to residence. In other words, the visa will no longer be renewable beyond 5 years. It is therefore imperative that if you have staff on an AEWV that you want to retain, you need to get underway with a residency plan for them. We can help you with this.
  6. The Skilled Migrant Category Interim Visa allows applicants to continue working in New Zealand while their application is being processed.
  7. The New Zealand-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (NZ-UK FTA) facilitates the temporary entry of business people from the UK. This Agreement presents an excellent opportunity for employers looking to develop international business partnerships and collaborate with British talent.

Working In believes these changes will further allow New Zealand businesses to enhance their workforce with skilled individuals from around the world.

Should you require any further assistance or have specific inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Author

Hamneet Jaggi
Corporate Services Manager – Visas
IAA License #201500559

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