New Zealand: New Indefinite Residence Pathways under the Accredited Employer Work Visa Program Announced

August 8, 2022

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Country / Territory

At a Glance

The New Zealand government has announced three new pathways to indefinite residence under the Accredited Employer Work Visa program:

  • The Straight to Residence pathway, for applicants whose nominated occupations are on tier 1 of the Green List, will become available on September 5, 2022;
  • The Work to Residence pathway, for remaining Green List nominated occupations, will become available on September 29, 2023; and
  • The Highly Paid pathway, for those with roles earning over 200% of the median wage; will become available on September 29, 2023.

Eligible applicants will benefit from having an employer-sponsored pathway to residence as the former Talent (Accredited Employer) Work to Residence visa program is now permanently closed, and the current pathway for independent migrants (under the Skilled Migrant Category) is currently suspended.

The situation

The New Zealand government has introduced three new pathways for foreign nationals that will allow them to live and work in New Zealand indefinitely under the newly-launched Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) program.

Foreign nationals must meet general criteria including being under the age of 55, meeting English requirements, having good health and character, and holding an employment offer with an Accredited Employer in New Zealand. Pathway specific requirements are as follows:

 

NEW PATHWAY DETAILS IMPACT
Straight to Residence pathway

  • Applicants may be eligible to apply for a residence visa without having to spend time on the AEWV, where their nominated role aligns with an occupation on tier 1 of the Green List, and they meet the nominated occupation requirements.

  • Applicants must be offered full-time employment of at least 12 months with an Accredited Employer.

  • Applicants must meet occupation-specific requirements, which may include:

    • Qualification and work experience requirements (which include undergoing a qualification assessment); or

    • Minimum income requirements with at least 10 years’ relevant work experience.

  • Immigration New Zealand will open applications for this pathway on September 5, 2022, for both onshore and offshore applicants.

     
    • Eligible applicants whose roles align with tier 1 of the Green List will benefit from a residence pathway that does not require the usual 24-month employment requirement for pathways to residence.
    • Eligible applicants will benefit from having a pathway to residence where the current pathway (under the Skilled Migrant Category) is currently suspended.
Work to Residence pathway
  • Applicants must have worked New Zealand for 24 months prior to applying for an Accredited Employer on an AEWV. If an applicant started working in New Zealand between September 29, 2021, and July 3, 2022, they can count the time spent on their previous work visa towards meeting the 24-month employment requirement, provided they continue to work in the same role.
  • Immigration New Zealand will open applications for the Work to Residence pathway starting September 29, 2023.
    • Eligible applicants will benefit from having a continued pathway to residence where the current pathway (under the Skilled Migrant Category) is currently suspended.
    • Eligible applicants will benefit from being able to count employment under certain visas (other than the AEWV) towards meeting the 24-month employment requirement.
    • Where an applicant has not spent a full 24 months meeting Green List occupation requirements, they may continue to be eligible for residence where they have earned over double the median wage.
Highly Paid pathway
  • Applicants who have been working in New Zealand and earning double the median wage for 24 months on their AEWV or who have a job or job offer from an Accredited Employer that is paid at least twice the median wage may be eligible for a residence visa under the Highly Paid pathway. Applicants must have the current minimum income threshold of NZD 115,481.60 to be eligible.
    • Statistics New Zealand is expected to update the median wage threshold in February 2023.
  • Immigration New Zealand will open applications for the highly Paid pathway on September 29, 2023.
    • Eligible applicants will benefit from having a continued pathway to residence where the current pathway (under the Skilled Migrant Category) is currently suspended.
    • Certain eligible applicants will benefit from having a permanent residence pathway that does not require the usual 24-month employment requirement for pathways to residence.
  • Rebalancing of the immigration system. The New Zealand government continues the rebalancing and streamlining of its immigration rules following the long-awaited launch of the new AEWV program in July 2022, which consolidated several work visa applications into one.
  • Attracting highly skilled foreign nationals. The New Zealand government continues to attract experienced, high-value foreign nationals to bring their skills to New Zealand. Recently, the New Zealand government introduced a new visa program for high-value investors that will open in September 2022.
  • Reinstatement of pathways to residence. The new visas are intended to complement the Skilled Migrant Category which is currently suspended while the New Zealand government continues its Immigration Rebalance program. 

The New Zealand government will likely continue to introduce new visa pathways to attract highly skilled foreign nationals with specific skills that will complement specific businesses and industries in New Zealand in line with the government’s goal of bringing more active foreign national investment into the country.  

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].

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