Border reopening – a year later

It has been just over a year since New Zealand reopened its border. A lot has happened in the immigration space over the last year including:

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• Over 76,000 Accredited Employer Work Visas issued.

• More than 74,000 Student Visas issued.

• 1,517,930 Electronic Travel Authorities approved for people who can enter NZ visa free.

• 339,218 Visitor Visas approved.

• 65,056 Working Holiday Visas issued.

• Over 205,000 people granted residence under the 2021 Resident Visa category.

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While these statistics point to the immigration system recovering there is a worrying trend of pathways to residence closing. Of course no one should expect by right they will be granted residence but clear pathways to residence help employers attract the highly skilled and talented workforce New Zealand needs to keep rebuilding the economy.

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The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) closes at 11.59pm on Tuesday, 15 August 2023. There is a limited window before this category closes for anyone who wants to lodge an Expression of Interest.

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The new SMC will not open until Monday, 9 October 2023. The threshold to qualify for residence under new SMC rules will be much higher and comes with a revamped points system and completely different set of requirements. No one can assume if they qualify now for 180 points, that they will qualify for 6 points (new “pass mark”) under the revised SMC.

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A review of the Greenlist (another pathway to residence) is underway but it is not clear when decisions will be made to expand or reduce the list of occupations that may qualify for residence.

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The Investor category that had attracted billions into our economy was changed last year and now there is just a trickle of applications.

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No doubt Election 2023 will soon see political parties release immigration policies. There is a lot to do in this space to create smart immigration policy to support growth. At the end of the day attracting skilled people and those with money to invest has helped this country prosper over many decades.

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