Immigration - Deferred Dates and Extensions
Immigration New Zealand (‘INZ’) announced on Friday, 16 July that the commencement of the new Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) has been deferred from 1 November 2021 to mid-2022 – which is welcomed news for a lot of Employers.
The Government also announced that from 19 July until mid-2022, Essential Skills Work Visa holders will be able to apply for a longer visa to remain in their current position, this includes:
· Employers will not need to complete a labour market test to prove there are no New Zealanders available;
· Employees will not need to provide INZ with a copy of their Employment Agreement with their application (remember, you still legally need to provide the Employee with one!);
· Employees will not be required to provide medical or police certificates, if these were previously supplied.
Employers will still need to complete a labour market test for vacant positions, or where an Employee has moved to another location, outside of their current region.
Along with the above changes, the maximum duration of the Essential Skills Visa for Employees paid below $25.50 per, will increase from 12 months to 24 months.
There is also a new Skills Match Report that is currently being used through Ministry of Social Development, this is in preparation of the new Accredited Employer Work Visa. You can click here to check out the new process on the MSD website.
The Government has implemented these changes in attempt to streamline the application and processing and increase current visa durations. For more information on the new process and criteria, we recommend you click here to understand more about the update and what this means for you and your team. .
Please note, People Passion are not licensed immigration advisors and this article is provided for general information purposes only. If you need immigration advice, specific to your needs, we recommend seeking specialist support from a licensed immigration advisor.
KRISTA MCDOWELL
HR Partner