New Zealand: Work Rights Changes for Spouses and Partners of Certain Visa Holders
May 24, 2023
The New Zealand government has announced changes that will further impact the work rights of spouses and partners of Accredited Employer Work visa (AEWV) and Essential Skills (ES) visa holders. Effective from May 31, 2023, partners who apply for a new visa as dependents of AEWV or ES visa holders will be granted a visa with the condition that they can only work for an Accredited Employer, regardless of the role, and must be paid at least the median wage in New Zealand. Partners will no longer need a job offer or undergo a job check when applying for a Partner of a Worker visa. Changing Accredited Employers will not require a variation of conditions application. Partners of AEWV holders may be eligible for open work rights if the primary AEWV holder earns twice the median wage or holds a role included in the Green List. Partners of ineligible AEWV or ES visa holders must apply for their own work visas. Partners who do not wish to work in New Zealand can apply for a Visitor visa. These changes do not apply to partners of other work visa holders or holders of Partner of Worker work visas granted before May 31, 2023.
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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