New Zealand: New Change of Conditions Process and Extension of Automatic Work Rights for Temporary Work Visa Holders’ Partners
December 15, 2022
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At a Glance
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Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and Essential Skills Visa holders can now apply to change the conditions of their visa to reflect changes in employers, occupations or job locations under their current visa instead of applying for a new visa.
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These changes will result in fewer administrative steps and a slightly faster processing time compared to the prior process of filing a new Work Visa application to change such conditions.
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Additionally, the automatic work rights of dependent spouses or partners of temporary work visa holders has been extended until April 2023.
The situation
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) announced several changes, one that will ease the change of conditions process for Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and Essential Skills Visa holders, and another that extends the policy that grants the automatic work rights of spouses and partners of temporary work visa holders until April 2023.
A closer look
| CHANGE | DETAILS | IMPACT |
| AEWV Variation of Conditions |
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| Essential Skills Visa Variation of Conditions |
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| Extended automatic work rights for partners of migrant workers |
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Background
- Addressing skills shortages. The New Zealand government continues to implement relaxed immigration rules to address skills shortages in the country.
- Improving the AEWV process. The New Zealand government continues to improve the AEWV process in an effort to refine details such as processing times, requirements and related applications, to make the program more attractive.
Looking ahead
The New Zealand government will likely continue to improve the AEWV program, such as implementing less administratively burdensome procedures for cancellations or process requirements for high-volume employers. We will report on related developments.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
