Ramya Sathiyanathan - Immigration Lawyer

14/10/2026

Another reminder that nothing is truly free.

Fraudulent documents, false declarations and misleading information aren’t new to the student visa industry. Unscrupulous education agents who rely solely on commissions have been doing this for years.

So ask yourself: are you willing to hand over your family’s entire future to someone who works for you “for free”?

If you’re not paying with money, what exactly are you paying with?

Immigration NZ declined 70% of applications from Bangladesh in three months.

14/10/2026

Last week, I spent a few hours at the AIC Career Expo, meeting students and young professionals from all walks of life.

We spoke about visas, careers, finding work in New Zealand and, naturally, the million questions that come with figuring out what comes next.

But I was just as interested in hearing how they were finding life here, their ambitions and the challenges they've faced.

And I suspect I walked away having learnt just as much from them as they did from me.

One of the highlights was unexpectedly running into a former client we had helped some time ago, who is now doing some amazing things here in New Zealand.

We don't always get to see where life takes our clients once our work together is done. So, catching up with someone after all this time and hearing about everything they've gone on to achieve was particularly special.

A big thank you to Auckland International Campus (AIC) & Dani Mao for having 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭 at the expo.

And to everyone who stopped by our stand, thank you for the conversations. I really enjoyed meeting you!

22/10/2025

Attention Student Visa Holders — here’s some good news coming your way! 🎓

Starting 3rd November 2025, if you’re on a student visa in New Zealand, you’ll be able to work up to 25 hours per week.

If your current visa only allows 20 hours, you can apply to bump that up to 25 once the new rule kicks in.

We’ll be reaching out soon to help our current clients get this sorted — but if we haven’t met yet and you’d like to check your eligibility, flick us an email at [email protected] or give us a call on 09 217 4426.

We’re here to make the process simple (and maybe even a bit less stressful).

26/09/2025

An easy-to-read chart showing the proposed changes to NZ qualification points (as clarified by INZ today):

26/09/2025

INZ has provided further clarification on the new skilled migrant residence pathways which were announced earlier this week!

Qualifications gained in NZ now qualify for more points - especially Masters students - who are now immediately able to claim 6 points upon completion 💥

Click the link below for more information:

22/09/2025

23 September 2025: New skilled migrant category (SMC) residency pathways announced!

Pathway 1 - Skilled work experience pathway

A total of 5 years of directly relevant work experience is required, and an hourly rate which is 1.1 times the median wage.

Pathway 2 - Trades & technicians pathway

This pathway is for migrants in specified trades or technician roles with a relevant Level 4 or higher qualification + at least 4 years of post-qualification experience (with at least 18 months of experience in NZ paid at or above the median wage)

With both options, it appears that overseas experience will start being considered again, allowing migrants to combine it with their NZ work experience to apply for residence.

However, as these pathways are to come into effect in August 2026, more information on the specifics of the policy would be released closer to that time.

11/08/2025

The median wage threshold for skilled residence applications will increase on 18 August 2025. This means that any new application lodged on or after this date must meet this wage threshold.

This includes Skilled Migrant, Work to Residence & Straight to Residence applications.

The new wage threshold will be $33.56 per hour.

20/02/2025

Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) applications will look a bit different from next month.

Previously announced changes to this policy will be implemented on the 10th of March 2025, including the removal of the median wage.

Some of the key changes relating to AEWV applications are:

🟠 Accredited Employers will need to offer market rates to migrants they are intending to hire on an AEWV. The median wage of $29.66 per hour is not required.

🟠 For lower skilled roles (ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 occupations), the visa duration will increase to 3 years.

🟠 While WINZ engagement for lower-skilled roles remains necessary, employers will now need to declare the results of their engagement, rather than submit a report from WINZ.

🟠 Finally, the minimum skill requirement will no longer require applicants to prove 3 years of relevant work experience (if they don't have a Bachelor's degree or a relevant Level 4 or higher qualification), 2 years will be deemed sufficient.

01/01/2025

Happy New Year to all!

Wishing all of our clients and friends a healthy and prosperous 2025

22/10/2024

How much does it cost a New Zealand employer to become an Accredited Employer?

Visa application fees are a necessary expense.

The previous work visa scheme placed most of the expense on the migrant.

However, the current Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme places part of the burden on the New Zealand employer.

For most New Zealand businesses, before offering a role to a migrant, at a minimum, they must submit two separate applications with Immigration NZ:

1) An Accreditation application; and

2) A Job Check application.

Each application comes at a cost.

The Accreditation Application fee will depend on the type of accreditation the employer is seeking - Standard, High-volume OR Controlling third party.

Whereas the Job Check Application fee is fixed and is the same whether you are seeking to fill 1 vacancy or 100 vacancies in a single job check application.

Note that different roles will require separate job checks.

Once a job check is approved - the applicant (or the migrant) will need to submit their own Accredited Employer Work Visa application (the third step in the process). The visa fee for this is a whopping $1540NZD.

Given the significant financial impact on a business, as well as the migrant, it is important to get things right, the first time.