New Zealand

New residence categories announced

28 Jul 22

NEW ZEALAND

The New Zealand government has announced three new residence categories.

Straight to Residence Visa.

  • Beginning Sept. 5, foreign nationals can apply for the Straight to Residence Visa if they have a job or job offer in an occupation under tier 1 of the Green List from an accredited employer and the job:
    • Meets the specified requirements on the list for the occupation.
    • Is at least 30 hours per week, genuine, permanent or at least a 12-month fixed term contract.
  • Those wishing to apply for the Straight to Residence Visa as a contractor must meet additional requirements found here.

Work to Residence Visa.

  • Beginning Sept. 29, 2023, foreign nationals can apply for the Work to Residence Visa if they have a job or job offer in an occupation under tier 2 of the Green List from an accredited employer and:
    • The job meets the specified requirements on the list for the occupation.
    • They have worked for 24 months in New Zealand in a role that matches an occupation under tier 2 of the Green List.
    • The job is at least 30 hours per week, genuine, permanent or at least a 12-month fixed term contract.
  • Acceptable work in New Zealand will be counted toward the 24-month requirement from Sept. 29, 2021, while the applicant held an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) or another work visa or Critical Purpose Visitor Visa applied for on or held before July 4, 2022.

Highly Paid Residence Visa.

  • Beginning Sept. 29, 2023, foreign nationals can apply for the Highly Paid Residence Visa if they have:
    • A job or job offer from an accredited employer that is paid at least twice the median wage.
    • Been working for 24 months in New Zealand in a job paid at least twice the median age.
  • Acceptable work in New Zealand will be counted toward the 24-month requirement from Sept. 29, 2021, while the applicant held an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) or another work visa or Critical Purpose Visitor Visa applied for on or held before July 4, 2022.

Additional Information: As a general rule, applicants must be 55 or younger, meet the English language requirements and satisfy health and character requirements for residence in New Zealand. A complete list of eligibility requirements for the Straight to Residence Visa, Work to Residence Visa and Highly Paid Residence Visa is available here.

BAL Analysis: The new residence categories aim to make it easier for employers to hire and attract foreign nationals for high-skilled and hard-to-fill jobs in New Zealand with a more straightforward application process than the Skilled Migrant Category.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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