300 overseas qualified teachers will be reaching our shores thanks to a new border exemption announced by New Zealand’s Education Minister Chris Hipkins.

Invitations to apply will open in September 2021. It is a bid to provide a trifecta of support for the 2022 recruitment process, Early Childhood Education (ECE) services and bolster current teacher supply efforts.

In the same announcement, Hipkins said that:

1. Teachers already employed in New Zealand but left the country and couldn’t return to their job because of our border restrictions will be eligible for this new exemption.

2. Partners and dependent children of teachers already in New Zealand on temporary visas will be able to apply for a separate family reunification border exemption. Alternately, the teachers will be able to request to bring in their partners and dependent children for the duration of their visa.

This announcement is a prime example of the old saying ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ It highlights that Immigration New Zealand can take action quickly on issues they consider to be important.  While our teacher shortage is a serious issue, it is only addressing a small part of our immigration problem. It pushes families split by migration or those waiting for residency further down the list and begs the question ‘what would happen if Immigration New Zealand applied the same amount of urgency to more aspects of their work?

Need help or advice on your immigration situation? Contact Aaron Martin at NZIL for an honest and helpful appraisal.