Stay on track with our Wellbeing Meetings and Visa Eligibility Checks!
Welcome to the end of July. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably feeling that time has crept up on you and wondering how we are already into the second half of 2023!
Winter is the season of reflection and a good time to take stock and make sure we’re doing all we can as
New Zealand employers.
While we go through these colder months, below are a few tips of what we encourage you to consider.
Checking in on your international staff
We are now a year into the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme and Immigration New Zealand has approved around 70,500 AEWVs. New employees will have had time to settle into life in New Zealand and for some, this may be their first kiwi winter. Now is a good time to ensure you’re checking in on your international staff, – some may be feeling homesick as they adapt to a different climate and way of life.
Our team is happy to visit your team for a Wellbeing Meeting. We find employers really benefit from these sessions that keep everyone updated on the immigration settings and explore options to bring family members to New Zealand.
Important Travel Condition Check
Two years on from the 2021 Residency Visa scheme, and with 201,000 of the 217,000 residencies approved, some of your employees will be approaching their two-year residence mark. Resident Visas have a two-year travel condition. If anyone leaves New Zealand for a holiday without having applied for their Permanent Residence and their travel conditions expire, they risk losing their hard-earned Resident Visa.
We can assist with checking, advising and gaining permanent status for your staff.
Want to check if your staff are eligible for residency?
Immigration New Zealand has released a number of residency categories, as well as making some changes. This means that individuals who currently qualify for residency, may no longer qualify after the changes take effect. The final day to submit under the current Skilled Migrant Category is 15 August 2023. Be aware that staff may be asking for pay-increases or role changes in hopes of qualifying for this.
We can undertake an eligibility assessment to advise both yourself and your employee of the options available. Note that anyone applying for residence must still hold a valid work visa to be able to continue working.
Looking to promote staff?
Remember that anyone holding an employer-specific work visa is tied to a specific role. If you’re looking to promote staff, we will need to review their visa eligibility then advise you on the best plan to change their visa, before they can take on a new role.
Compliance checks
Many of you will have had your Accreditation extended by now. If you haven’t, you need to ensure all managers involved in your hiring process, complete the MBIE Employment Learning Modules. Each module may take 20-30 minutes to complete. With eight modules, we recommend your managers schedule these in, to ensure completion.
We can run immigration presentations and training sessions to explain policy requirements to your team.
We think of ourselves as an extension to your busy team and hope the above helps plant some seeds to get you prepared for the coming spring! Get in touch any time to talk though the above in more detail.
Zinny Cheng Corporate Services Manager – Visas
Client feedback on our wellbeing meetings:
“You have some amazing staff within Working In. Yesterday they came to have a Wellbeing Meeting with our Filipino crew of 15. They were amazing, explaining bringing family over and how to make this happen with the support and services Working In can offer them. There were many questions asked and they had all the answers explained in their language as well. The crew all walked away happy yesterday with clear goals over the next few months and years about their work visas and gateway to getting residency etc.
Again thanks to you all, as always, the support you have given By Design Concrete and Paving over the last five years has made it so easy for us here, to fill the gaps in our growing company. You “get” us and are very patient guiding us every step of the way. Bring on our next 10 crew!”
Ngaire Robinson, Accounts/HR Manager, By Design Concrete and Paving
