New Zealand has announced some significant changes to the process of granting temporary work visas.
The new visa rules will result in the introduction of a new employer-led visa framework which aims to make the application process easier, both for applicants and businesses.
New Zealand’s Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says the new arrangements would assist around 30,000 businesses in filling skill shortages.
Another change that will come into effect in 2020 will reinstate the ability of lower-paid workers to bring their families to New Zealand.
Auckland-based migration expert Jagjeet Singh Sidhu told SBS Punjabi that the ‘new move’ will significantly impact the prospects of foreign workers willing to permanently settle in the country.
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“It is a massive change that will affect the lives of many foreign workers and their families,” he said.
It is getting a bit tougher now. The visa process is clearly moving towards highly skilled foreign workers who can have well-paid job offers.
“This process is often related to work to residency pathway. But it must not be confused with the general skilled work visa. This is a different pathway which is employer-assisted and there is no capping for this category.”
Mr Sidhu said that migration experts were already expecting these changes.
Source: Supplied
“It is something that was waiting to happen. The government was already in consultation to bring changes to employer-assisted temporary work visa settings,” he adds.
“They had around 1,000 submissions which they received during the public consultation between December 2018 - March 2019.”
Mr Sidhu said the most ‘significant’ change is the increase in the annual salary limit for the employer-led Talent Work Visa.
“The applicants in this category must meet the annual salary limit which has now increased from NZD $55,000 to NZD $79,560 and this will be applicable to applications received from 7 October, regardless of when the employer became accredited.”
A media statement from New Zealand’s Immigration Department suggests that the salary threshold was last updated in 2008.
Auckland the largest city in New Zealand. It's the region of choice for over half of the new migrants. Source: Pixabay
The statement reads – “The new threshold is 150% of the current New Zealand median salary and will be updated each year in line with the median income.
“The new salary is based on a 40 hour week, or NZD $38.25 per hour. If your job is for more than 40 hours a week, you must be paid at least NZD $38.25 an hour.
“If your salary will be under NZD $79,560 from the 7 October, you can apply for an Essential Skills Work Visa instead.”
While announcing the new visa arrangements, the Minister of Immigration Iain Lees-Galloway said currently there are over 54,000 workers on the main employer-assisted work visa.
NZ is known for its picturesque beauty and quality of life. The photo shown is of Mitre Peak which is an iconic mountain in the South Island of NZ. Source: Pixabay
“The new temporary work visa process is more streamlined and less complex replacing six visa categories with one temporary work visa, and it ensures there is an employer check, a job check and a worker check,” says Iain Lees-Galloway.
“The process allows us to ensure foreign workers are only recruited for genuine shortages, helps us reduce exploitation, and creates better connections between immigration, education and welfare systems."
Mr Iain Lees-Galloway said the new framework will require all employers to be accredited and will give employers more certainty about their ability to hire a foreign worker earlier in the application process.
New Zealand’s Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. Source: Supplied
“It will also provide the foreign worker with more assurance about the employer they are coming to work for and the job they are coming to do,” he said.
To know more details listen to our conversation with Auckland-based migration agent Jagjeet Singh Sidhu by clicking the above-mentioned audio link.
