08/07/2020
CHANGES TO WORK VISA
The Government has announced some important changes to visa settings for temporary work visa holders in New Zealand. As we understand, the purpose of those changes is dual – to enable employers to utilise the skills of work visa holders they already employ, and also to provide a pathway to the Government’s planned implementation of reforms to the employer-assisted temporary work visa system that seems to be taking place mid-2021.
In short, the announced changes are as follows:
1. Existing employer-assisted temporary work visas for people who are in New Zealand and whose visas are due to expire before the end of 2020 will be automatically extended for further six months.
All other conditions of the original visa remain the same, including the specific occupation and specific employer and location.
2. Delay the introduction of the 12 month stand down period for lower-paid workers who have had their employer-assisted work visa extended.
This time-limited change will enable lower-paid migrants who are subject to the stand-down between August 2020 and the end of December 2020 to stay in New Zealand and work for the same employer in the same occupation and location for up to a further six months, in line with their visa extension.
3. Reduce the duration of all new lower-paid Essential Skills work visas from 12 months to six months to mitigate future labour market risks. This will apply to all new lower-paid Essential Skills work visa applications lodged from 10 July.
4. From 27 July, a remuneration threshold, that is a median wage at the time of application (currently $25.50) will be used to determine whether a job is considered higher or lower-paid. This is important as the work visa applications for jobs that are paid below the median wage will now need to include a Skills Match Report (SMR) from the Ministry of Social Development and, if visa is eventually approved, it is likely to be approved for a duration of 6 months only.
The change in duration for new lower-paid essential skills work visa applications from 12 to six months will apply to any applications made after 10 July and will be in place for the next 18 months, after which it will be reviewed.
Unfortunately, the situation with offshore temporary visa applications still remains the same – applications made from outside New Zealand will not be processed until further notice, unless the applicant is granted an exception. For more information please visit
The New Zealand border is currently closed to almost all travellers to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
