There have been no selections of Expressions of Interest from the Skilled Migrant pool since the last draw on 18 March 2020. This means no one has been invited to apply for residence after 18/03/2020. The Minister of Immigration said in late June 2021 an announcement to restart selections would be made "soon".
Residence applications lodged under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) for anyone invited to apply for residence before 18 March 2020 continue to be processed but the sheer volume of applications is causing long delays. The information on this page sets out the recent changes to this category and apply to SMC residence applications lodged after the "effective dates".
The government has increased the median wage to $27 per hour from 19 July. Any Skilled Migrant residence application lodged after this date will need to include a skilled job offer that pays at least $27 per hour. For some lower-skilled occupations, the minimum pay rate increases to $40.50 per hour. Bonus points for employment paid a "high remuneration" will need to earn at least $54 per hour to qualify for the extra points. This change does not affect applications lodged before 19 July.
Skilled occupation "Dairy Cattle Farmer" spilt into three occupations. New occupations are: "Dairy Farm Manager", "Assistant Dairy Farm Manager" and "Dairy Herd Manager". Each sit at different skill levels, therefore, the award of points will depend on pay rates, job tasks and other requirements. Take advice.
The government has deferred the fortnightly selection of Expressions of Interest from the Skilled Migrant pool for six months (to be reviewed in April 2021). Invitations to Apply for Residence remain suspended. The last selection from the Skilled Migrant pool took place on 18/03/2020.
Note: the government has made no announcement or decision when selections will resume despite the April 2021 review date passing.
The government added four new occupations that are now regarded as skilled employment and may qualify for job offer points under the Skilled Migrant Category. These are:
Aged or disabled carer
Bicycle mechanic
Driller
Nursing Support worker
Take advice before proceeding with an Expression of Interest or residence application based on one of these job offers. Special rules apply.
Anyone invited by Immigration NZ to apply for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category where their invitation is dated between 1 November 2019 and 15 April 2020 (inclusive) has now been granted an additional six months to lodge their residence application. Normally invitations are only valid for four months but due to the difficulty to secure certain documents (e.g. medicals, police certificates etc)
from disruption by COVID -19, the government has extended the invitation deadlines for this group to a maximum of 10 months.
The government has deferred the fortnightly selection of Expressions of Interest from the Skilled Migrant pool. This means Invitations to Apply for Residence are also suspended. At this stage, Malcolm Pacific Immigration does not anticipate selections to resume until sometime after the general election held on 17 October 2020. The last selection from the Skilled Migrant pool took place on 12/03/2020.
Immigration NZ is now prioritising Skilled Migrant Residence applications where the main (principal) applicant meets one of two criteria:
Note:
a) The median wage changes from time to time (usually November each year).
b) All other Skilled Migrant residence applications are processed in date order received by Immigration NZ (oldest applications processed first).
The government recently added more occupations that are now to be regarded as skilled employment and may qualify for job offer points under the Skilled Migrant Category.
In order to qualify for points, the job must be paying at least the current median wage (or higher for certain occupations) at the time the residence application is lodged (median wage is currently NZD $25.50 per hour or $53,040 annually based on a 40 hour week).
Note:
Latest occupations now regarded as skilled employment grouped by sector
Child Care Worker
Child or Youth Residential Care Assistant
Family Day Care Worker
Out of School Hours Care Worker
Personal Care Assistant
Teachers' Aide
Refuge Worker
Beauty Therapist
Bungy Jump Master
Civil Celebrant
Diving Instructor (Open Water)
Fishing Guide
Hunting Guide
Mountain or Glacier Guide
Outdoor Adventure Guides
Outdoor Adventure Instructor
Tour Guide
Travel Consultant
Trekking Guide
Whitewater Rafting Guide
Bank Worker
Bookkeeper
Credit or Loans Officer
Import-Export Clerk
Insurance Investigator
Insurance Loss Adjuster
Crane, Hoist or Lift Operator
Footwear Production Machine Operator
Hide and Skin Processing Machine Operator
Knitting Machine Operator
Logging Plant Operator
Industrial Spraypainter
Paper and Pulp Mill Operator
Paper Products Machine Operator
Paving Plant Operator
Sawmilling Operator
Sewing Machinist
Textile Dyeing and Finishing Machine Operator
Textile and Footwear Production Machine Operators
Train Driver
Weaving Machine Operator
Waste Water or Water Plant Operator
Yarn Carding and Spinning Machine Operator
Construction Rigger
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Today the government announced a pathway to residence for migrant workers who are living and working in New Zealand. Applications open on 1 December 2021 for the first wave who are eligible to apply. The second wave can apply from 1 March 2022. The deadline to lodge an application is 31 July 2022 or else they will miss out on this one off opportunity.
Today the government announced a pathway to residence for people living and working in New Zealand. Applications open on 1 December 2021 for the first wave eligible to apply. The second wave can apply from 1 March 2022. The deadline to lodge an application is 31 July 2022 or else you miss the boat.
The government has moved the introduction of the new employer accreditation process across to mid-2022. At the same time, the Minister of Immigration announced new work visa rules for migrant workers who are already in New Zealand and working full time.
The government has increased the median wage to $27 per hour from 19 July. Any Skilled Migrant residence application lodged after this date will need to include a skilled job offer that pays at least $27 per hour. For some lower-skilled occupations, the minimum pay rate increases to $40.50 per hour.
From 19 July 2021
From 30 June 2021
Employers of migrant workers must become accredited from 1 November 2021 before work visa applications can be processed. Most employers are not accredited. Those that are accredited will have to roll into the new system when it goes live in late September.
From mid-2020 (delayed)
Skilled occupation "Dairy Cattle Farmer" spilt into three occupations. New occupations are: "Dairy Farm Manager", "Assistant Dairy Farm Manager" and "Dairy Herd Manager". Each sit at different skill levels, therefore, the award of points will depend on pay rates, job tasks and other requirements.
From 15 February 2021
The government has deferred the fortnightly selection of Expressions of Interest from the Skilled Migrant pool for six months (to be reviewed in April 2021). Invitations to Apply for Residence remain suspended. The last selection from the Skilled Migrant pool took place on 18/03/2020.
From 7 October 2020
The government added four new occupations that are now regarded as skilled employment and may qualify for job offer points under the Skilled Migrant Category. These are:
Aged or disabled carer, Bicycle mechanic, Driller and Nursing Support worker.
From 27 July 2020
Anyone invited by Immigration NZ to apply for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category where their invitation is dated between 1 November 2019 and 15 April 2020 (inclusive) has now been granted an additional six months to lodge their residence application.
From 27 May 2020
The government has deferred the fortnightly selection of Expressions of Interest from the Skilled Migrant pool. This means Invitations to Apply for Residence are also suspended. Malcolm Pacific Immigration does not anticipate selections to resume until after the general election held on 17 October 2020.
Immigration NZ is now prioritising Skilled Migrant Residence applications where the main (principal) applicant meets the criteria:
From 24 February 2020
From 7 October 2019
The government recently added more occupations that are now to be regarded as skilled employment and may qualify for job offer points under the Skilled Migrant Category. In order to qualify for points, the job must be paying at least the current median wage (or higher for certain occupations) at the time the residence application is lodged.
From 1 November 2021
From 1 November 2021 anyone who is not a NZ citizen must be fully vaccinated (unless exempt) before travelling to New Zealand. Fully vaccinated means your last dose of vaccine was given at least 14 days before travelling and it was an approved vaccine.
Applications for employer accreditation closed at the end of June 2021. Applications lodged before the closure date are still being processed. New applications for accreditation open on 9 May 2022. The process will be quite different to what employers have experienced in the past. Businesses will need to meet minimum standards.
Wednesday, 1 December is fast approaching and it is estimated that around 16,000 individuals and families can apply in the first wave for the 2021 Resident Visa opening next month. It is exciting for the thousands of people who have been waiting patiently to become residents that finally the finish line is in sight.
The first wave of applicants can apply from 1 December 2021. Around 16,000 applications are expected in this first wave. The second wave opens on 1 March 2022. In total, the government expects approximately 110,000 applications that will include about 165,000 people.
The second group of workers who can apply online for the 2021 Resident Visa that opens on 1 March 2022 are those who hold an eligible work visa and either meet "Settled", "Skilled" or "Scarce" as set out above. In total Immigration NZ estimate around 110,000 people will qualify to apply for this visa.
The first group of workers who can apply online for the 2021 Resident Visa that opens on 1 December 2021 are those that on 29/09/2021:
Is this the only requirement to qualify for residence? No. In addition to the eligible work visa criteria workers also need to be regarded as one of the following:
People who were lawfully in NZ (or in Australia when the travel bubble closed between April and July 2021) on 29/09/2021 need to meet the visa eligibility criteria:
The government has introduced a limited pathway to residence for people who are already living and working in New Zealand. Applications open on 1 December 2021 for the first wave of people eligible to apply. The second wave opens on 1 March 2022. The deadline to apply for the 2021 Resident Visa is 31 July 2022.
A small number of critical health workers (taking up jobs for six months or longer) or specialist workers (taking up jobs that are for longer than six months) who were granted border exemptions may also have eligibility for the 2021 Resident Visa. They will need to have arrived in NZ and lodge a 2021 Resident Visa application.
*Excludes high-risk countries.
*Excludes high-risk countries.
The work visa categories set to close are:
From September 2022 people holding job offers in a small number of occupations may apply for residence. Some occupations are a direct pathway to residence and others require a period of two years or longer before applying.
There are qualification and/or occupational registration requirements to meet. Establishing if an overseas qualification matches the NZ equivalent qualification before applying is paramount for success.
More Green List NZ info here