The government says it allowed the Avatar film crew back into New Zealand in spite of the current border closures because the making of the film offers “significant economic value” to our country. But this criterion is being applied unevenly. What about the America’s Cup crew, or the many work visa holders stranded overseas – … Continue reading Transparency needed for making exceptions on visas
Immigration News
Due to COVID-19, there have been a lot of delays and disruption to visa processing, and those changes have caused significant confusion amongst migrants. So, in this article, we’re outlining the best course of action and suggested focus for common visa types and scenarios – so that you know exactly where you stand, what you should be aware of, and what you should be doing.
As part of the changes to immigration law brought about by the Covid 19 crisis new guidance has been issued from Immigration New Zealand to immigration officers processing work visas in regard to assessing labour market tests.
This will have an impact on employers looking to fill roles from the skill shortage list. With more local workers now available, the labour market test has now become more stringent. We discuss what these changes will mean for employers.
Understanding the priority of visa applications On 17 April, Immigration New Zealand’s workflow priorities had to make some big shifts to align with emergency legislation around COVID-19. Like many organisations, first and foremost INZ had to work around some stark realities – you can’t process paper-based applications if you can’t go to the office. So, … Continue reading Visa priority processing new criteria explained
On the 4th of May, the government announced temporary changes to the Immigration Act to allow more flexibility to manage visa changes for the large numbers of migrants who are unable to leave New Zealand. Immigration law expert Aaron Martin from NZIL explains the implications for all migrants to the new rules. The temporary change … Continue reading IMZ introduces practical immigration law changes – but what about the offshore migrants?
The economic consequences of COVID-19 and the lockdown are likely to be dire, and we will see a rise in unemployment that will exacerbate these issues.
When that happens, the hard-working migrants who helped us through the crisis will begin to feel the hard edge of the immigration process. Migrant Workers deserve better…
On Wednesday 1 April 2020 Immigration New Zealand announced new criteria to allow migrants to apply for a visa to enter New Zealand. Leading immigration lawyer Aaron Martin explains the ramifications for potential applicants and their families.
The Immigration New Zealand website is stating that everyone who has a visa (including interim and Limited Visas) is due to expire between now and 1 April needs to immediately apply for a new visa using the online system. Read our blog for more information.
“It’s still very unclear what the specific restrictions means to some visa holders, so I have been in contact with Immigration New Zealand to try and resolve this situation. They are still resolving some of the terms themselves; but as of today, I’m updating the information that I’m aware of and giving my advice to people concerned on whether they’ll be allowed to travel to New Zealand or not.
People may currently be unable to leave the country due to restricted airline services, other countries preventing arrivals, and a deteriorating position internationally. What does this mean for those who are here on temporary visas? There is an option that the government can utilise that we outline in this article.
We need to consider the impact of this crisis on migrant workers and think about what provision we can make to protect our skilled labour pool into the future.
Many employers will be familiar with the process of hiring and managing a workforce, but when it comes to hiring workers from overseas, employers need to understand that they need to plan ahead. If you are an employer trying to recruit a role with a migrant worker, we explain how the process works.
