Turner Hopkins Immigration

10/09/2026

Election year immigration debate has a familiar rhythm. Politicians warn that immigration is too high, too loose, too risky or too poorly managed.

Employers say they still cannot find enough skilled people. Migrants wonder whether the rules are about to be rewritten underneath them.

Then, usually, reality intervenes.

New Zealand still needs skilled workers, investors, graduates and people who can fill genuine economic gaps. The argument is rarely about whether we want migrants at all. It is about which migrants, on what terms, and how loudly that can be discussed before polling day.

The latest article from the Turner Hopkins Immigration Specialists team looks at the 2026 announcements, the same patterns in previous election cycles, and why the substance of New Zealand immigration policy is often more stable than the politics around it.

A useful reminder that campaign rhetoric and actual immigration settings are not the same thing.

Article: https://www.turnerhopkinsimmigration.co.nz/news/elections-immigration

Election years are not especially relaxing, especially if your future depends on immigration policy and whether a change in Government might influence that. A politician gives a speech about immigration being too high, another warns that the country needs to protect its social cohesion, someone else

04/09/2026

ACT’s latest immigration proposal wants to make permanent residence a lot less permanent.

On the surface, it sounds tidy. In practice, it risks fixing a problem that does not really exist, while making New Zealand less attractive to skilled migrants, families and investors.

In this article, the Turner Hopkins Immigration Specialists team look at how permanent residence actually works, what ACT is proposing, and why “other countries do it” is not, by itself, a particularly compelling reason to follow suit.

Sometimes being different is a competitive advantage.

https://www.turnerhopkinsimmigration.co.nz/news/permanent-in-permanent-residence

Earlier this week, the ACT party announced that it wants to fundamentally reshape New Zealand’s residence system by removing the Permanent Resident Visa and replacing it with an ongoing requirement for residents to keep proving their connection to New Zealand. At first glance, there is a certain n...

02/09/2026

Despite this image being an obvious fabrication of a social media post and response...it is actually a pretty accurate reflection of the quality of immigration advice that people receive online through many social media groups.

Today I observed an online discussion between an applicant and a lawyer, offering advice. These usually appear in specifically designed groups, where industry professionals offer "free" advice to those looking for it.

The problem with these pages is that the people asking the questions, give a relatively limited amount of information, or worse don't actually know the right questions to answer and yet the advisers trawling these pages, often provide very specific and direct instructions - perhaps in an attempt to raise profile, gain a lead or just appear authoritative (or all three).

To my mind that is both negligent and dangerous. Unless you know the full set of circumstances, any advice you offer could set someone down completely the wrong path. This was exactly the issue with the discussion that occurred today.

The question was relatively light on details, and yet certain individuals thought they could offer an exact answer - which of course is complete nonsense.

Our role as advisers is to find out all the information required to form an accurate opinion and then deliver an educated result - not to simply take a stab at it.

For applicants using these services, the vast majority are looking for quick, easy answers at no cost, which is understandable, however what they don't often realise, is that those quick, easy answers are worth exactly what they paid for them - nothing.

The vast majority of these pages are set up with one goal - to generate marketing and leads and there are "masterminds" of these seemingly altruistic endeavours who operate multiple pages, all aimed at the same thing - raising profile and trying to catch a few clients along the way. There is nothing inherently wrong with marketing your services, I do it all the time, but there is something very wrong with offering ad-hoc advice, without the necessary facts being explored first.

If you are looking for support or advice in your move, my suggestion is to treat these groups for what they are - a thinly veiled attempt to market services, with the lure of some free advice that is largely going to either avoid answering your question directly, or worse steer you down the wrong path.

Cut out the wasted time and effort and speak directly to a qualified, licensed adviser or lawyer who specialises in this field and tell them your whole story - trust me the effort and money spent will be well worth it.

27/08/2026

Dolly Parton, the musical legend we lost this week, made “9 to 5” famous. New Zealand immigration has managed to make it considerably more complicated.

For salaried workers, the annual figure on the employment agreement is not always the number that matters most. Immigration New Zealand may need to convert that salary into an hourly rate, and depending on the contracted hours, the result can look very different.

Same salary. Same job. Different immigration outcome.

In our latest article, we look at why hourly wage thresholds can create real problems for salaried professionals, and why employers and migrants should be checking the hours clause as carefully as the salary itself.

Article: https://www.turnerhopkinsimmigration.co.nz/news/working-9-to-5

This week the world farewelled a music legend - Dolly Parton, who died on 25 August at the age of 80. Much has rightly been said about her extraordinary career, her philanthropy, her humour and her ability to remain unmistakably herself through decades in an industry that is not always especially fo

21/08/2026

Trust is fundamental to any immigration system - particularly when people are making life-changing decisions based on it.

MBIE’s failed biometric project, which has drawn plenty of recent media attention, raises some uncomfortable questions about governance, accountability and whether migrants and employers can have confidence in the system they are paying to use.

The latest article from the Turner Hopkins Immigration Specialists team takes a closer look at how trust in our system is crucial.

https://www.turnerhopkinsimmigration.co.nz/news/trust-the-system

Trust is a fairly important ingredient in an immigration system. Applicants trust that the rules published by Immigration New Zealand mean what they appear to mean (assuming they can interpret them). Employers trust that if they follow the process, pay the fees and provide the evidence requested, so

14/08/2026

Our work is all about people and its the people we work with that make all the difference.

Nadia Herbst is one of the team, who has first-hand experience with the processing having moved from South Africa to New Zealand.

Nadia shares some of her experiences, challenges and tips, for those considering the big move.

14/08/2026

Most New Zealand visa applications have moved online. Parent Resident and Parent Retirement Resident applications, however, remain firmly stuck in the paper age.

In my latest article, I look at the practical problems this creates—and the relatively simple interim fix available to Immigration New Zealand.

https://www.turnerhopkinsimmigration.co.nz/news/online-vs-paper

Most days, preparing and filing a visa application looks and feels reasonably modern. We can lodge work visas online. We can lodge student and visitor visas online. Skilled residence applications are online. Even Active Investor Plus applications, involving significant investments and often substant

10/08/2026

The work we do changes lives, but in some cases the changes are more profound. We work with a very deserving charitable trust who support young women in Samoa to undertake education opportunities in New Zealand.

Our role is to assist in facilitating the visas for them, which can be complex, often time-sensitive and challenging from a documentation perspective.

However, the outcomes are more than just profound, particularly for these very deserving applicants. I will also give credit to INZ for facilitating these applications in a timely manner and giving these young women a chance at something better.

08/08/2026

A fairer system for Parent Resident Visa applicants, but patience will still be the name of the game.

Our current Parent Resident Visa operates on a lottery style system, where your "Expression of Interest" is randomly selected from a ballot, hopefully, within a two year life-span. Largely critiqued for being unfair and offering no real certainty.

Immigration New Zealand has (today) announced a new selection process for the Parent Resident Visa Category, taking effect from 5 October 2026, under the new hybrid model:

• Around 90% of Expressions of Interest (EOIs) will be selected in date order
• Around 10% will be selected through a ballot
• EOIs will no longer expire after two years, provided applicants confirm every two years that they wish to remain in the pool and keep their details updated
• Current EOIs will transfer automatically into the new system
• There is no change to the existing eligibility requirements

Importantly, applicants who have continuously maintained an EOI - including those who submitted a replacement within 90 days of an earlier EOI expiring - will generally retain a queue position based on the date their original EOI was accepted.

The next selection will proceed under the current settings on 11 August 2026. The first selection using the new model is scheduled for 10 November 2026.

This should provide greater certainty for families who have been waiting in the pool, while leaving a small pathway for newer applicants to be selected. Sort of like waiting in line for the next iPhone, only to be one of a few picked out at random. You know you will get there eventually, and might be lucky enough to get there a bit sooner.

However, the annual cap remains at 2,500 visas. Demand is likely to continue exceeding supply, so the new process may be fairer and more predictable, but it will not necessarily be faster and that is the trade-off some parents (and their children) will have to accept.

Current EOI holders should receive more information about the transition arrangements before 5 October, with queue positions expected to become available after the new system takes effect.

If you have an existing or recently expired Parent Resident Visa EOI, now would be a sensible time to check that it remains valid and the information is up to date.

For further information, contact the team at Turner Hopkins Immigration Specialists today (web: www.turnerhopkinsimmigration.co.nz)

07/08/2026

The SMC updates are coming...and so are the updates to the updates.

Today, INZ released the first, of what I imagine will be many, clarifications to the new rules, including a rewrite on some relatively tricky policy.

If you thought this was going to be easy...perhaps think again. The new rules will open up doors, but also add the visa equivalent of those horrible fly screens before you can get through.

For more information or clarifications on the SMC system, contact the Turner Hopkins Immigration Specialists team today.