New Zealand: Several Relaxed Policy Initiatives Aim to Expand Worker Pool

December 15, 2022

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Country / Territory

At a Glance

  • The New Zealand government will give eligible employers an automatic 12-month extension of their Accreditation under the Accredited Employer Work Visa program and will defer the Accreditation requirement for employers who sponsor temporary visa holders (including open work visa holders) until 2024.
  • Furthermore, certain Critical Purpose Visitor Visa holders whose visas have been granted on the basis of being a long-term critical worker are eligible for a further streamlined Specific Purpose visa.
  • Lastly, the New Zealand government has expanded the Green List of occupations that are eligible for the Straight to Residence and Work to Residence pathways.

The situation

The New Zealand Government announced additional relaxed immigration rules including a one-off 12-month extension of Employer Accreditation validity, streamlined Specific Purpose visas for a certain group of current Critical Purpose Visitor visa holders and additional occupations added to the Green List.

CHANGE DETAILS IMPACT
Extension of Employer Accreditation
    • The New Zealand government will give Accredited Employers, who applied under the Accredited Employer Work visa program before July 4, 2023, automatic 12-month extensions. This will extend the duration of their initial Employer Accreditation to 24 months.
    • Additionally, the New Zealand government will defer the requirement for all employers who employ foreign workers (including those with open work rights) to obtain Employer Accreditation until 2024.
    • Employers who apply for their Accreditations before July 4, 2023 will benefit from an automatic 12-month extension to the initial 12-month validity of their Accreditation for a total of 24 months.
    • Employers who apply for their first Accreditation after July 4, 2023 will only be eligible for an initial 12-month validity and will not receive an automatic extension.
    • All successful applicants will receive a subsequent 24-month extension upon renewing their Accreditation.
    • All employers benefit from the continued ability to employ migrant workers without Accreditation until 2024.
Specific Purpose visa for Critical Purpose Visitor visa holders
    • Critical Purpose Visitor visa holders whose visas have been granted on the basis of being a long-term critical worker may be eligible for a further streamlined Specific Purpose visa. The Specific Purpose visa will allow the Critical Purpose Visitor visa holder to work in their current role for up to three years.
    • Applicants must provide a letter from their employer confirming that they will remain employed in the same role and on the same (or better) conditions as approved on their Critical Purpose Visitor visa application.
    • Foreign nationals who were previously under a Critical Purpose Visitor Visa but moved to a different visa type will not be eligible to apply for the streamlined Specific Purpose Visa.
Green List – additional occupations
    • The government has included all medical doctors, registered nurses and midwives on the Straight to Residence Green List pathway, and certain trades occupations and schoolteachers were added to the Work to Residence pathway.
    • Eligible Green List status holders will benefit by becoming eligible for a fast-track pathway to residence.

The New Zealand government continues to implement relaxed immigration rules to retain foreign nationals and address skills shortages in the country, which is in line with other countries in the region. In Australia, certain Temporary Work and Temporary Skill Shortage visa holders were made eligible to apply for permanent residence to retain foreign nationals.

It is likely that the New Zealand government will continue to relax existing immigration rules or introduce new beneficial schemes to continue attract and retain foreign national talent as the country continues to attempt to boost its economy by filling skills gaps.

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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