Skilled Migrants are running out of time.

The government has decided to close the current Skilled Migrant Category (SMC). The final date to lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) is on or before 11.59pm Tuesday, 15 August 2023. Final selections of EOIs take place the next day, 16 August. 

The new SMC opens on Monday, 9 October 2023. The threshold to qualify for residence under the new points system will be much higher than it is today. The new rules will favour PhD holders working as university lecturers or scientists but close off pathways to residence for many migrant workers. People who do not hold recognised university degrees will struggle to qualify unless they have spent several years working in New Zealand and may still not achieve residence if income levels do not meet certain thresholds and key millstones. 

The Highly Paid resident visa category (earning twice the median wage) closes on 1 July 2023. Anyone who believed they had a future pathway to residence under this category will need to qualify for residence under the new SMC. This will surprise people who were on a residence pathway. They should take immigration advice to understand their options.

Under the new SMC, points for age, New Zealand job offers, partners qualifications or job offers all disappear. The requirement to have a job or job offer, age limit of 55, English language and health/character standards still apply. There are several fishhooks in these new rules around qualifications, income and New Zealand work experience that will trip people up. While the new points system is being trumpeted as “simplified” it is anything but simple! 

The intent is clear. Reduce the number of people who qualify for residence. This will hit employers and the migrant communities hard.

If you have migrant workers in your business wanting to apply for residence, suggest they Contact Malcolm Pacific Immigration for a free assessment of residence eligibility before these rules change.  

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