Visa tips and insights

The substantial delays in visa processing are improving in some categories. However, limited human resource at Immigration NZ continues to stretch out processing time for many paper-based applications. This time of the year usually provides some relief for Immigration Officers to catch up before the next wave of visa applications land in October.

Did you know?

• Around 320 Straight to Residence applications have been lodged to date. This suggests only a low number of highly skilled migrants are deciding to apply for residence or the threshold to qualify is set to high! 
• The top 20 occupations issued work visas since the border reopened in July 2022 does not include teachers, doctors, or nurses - skills the country is desperately short of.  
• When you renew your passport, the NZ visa needs to be transferred across to your new passport. There is an application process – take advice. Don’t leave it to the last minute before you travel.
• The New Zealand paper arrival card disappears in July. A new travellers declaration goes online for everyone (including kiwis) to complete before flying into New Zealand.
• Most Accredited Employer Work Visas restrict the region of New Zealand where a person can work. Check your work visa before working in another region and if it is not listed take advice. Moving around the country with your job is more complex than you may realise.  
• From 1 August 2022 to 10 June 2023, 664 people were refused entry at the New Zealand border. In the same period 2,727 people were denied boarding a flight to New Zealand. That’s a total of 3,391 people who were prevented from entering New Zealand. 
  

In the immigration world, nothing is simple – talk to trusted professionals. The team at Malcolm Pacific Immigration are on standby ready to help. Get in touch.

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