The New Zealand government announced additional changes to the Active Investor Plus Visa to simplify the investment process.

Key Points:

  • As BAL reported, the government previously announced changes to the Active Investor Plus Visa beginning April 1, including two simplified investment categories, as well as broadening the scope of acceptable investments, among other updates.
  • Officials have now announced additional changes that will take effect April 1, including:
    • Removing caps on investments.
    • Requiring investments to be made in full to be granted a resident visa.
    • “On-call investments” option introduced for funds that the applicant commits to placing in managed funds (bonds, term deposits, listed equities and banks accounts) until they can be “called on.”
    • Finally, in limited circumstances, growth category applicants will be able to reinvest returned capital into balanced category investments if it is less than NZ$1 million (about US$570,225).

Additional Information: In addition, authorities stated that newborn children of investors will also qualify for a Dependent Child Resident Visa through their parent’s Permanent Resident Visa. Overall, the government believes these changes will help attract high value investment and incentivize people to invest in New Zealand. Officials stated that the changes (simplifying settings and incentivizing active investment classes) are a direct result of feedback from industry stakeholders and are meant to provide the most effective options available to attract new investors.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

The New Zealand government will soon implement updates to income thresholds for migrants supporting a partner or parent as well as regarding work rights for people on interim visas.

Key Points:

  • Beginning Feb. 28, Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) holders who want to support a partner will be required to meet an increased wage threshold of NZ$26.85 an hour (about US$15). Income thresholds for sponsors under the parent category will increase to NZ$33.56 an hour.
  • These changes are based off Statistics New Zealand’s publication of median hourly earnings for the previous year’s June quarter and is intended to ensure migrants who are supporting a partner or parent have the financial means to do so.
  • In addition, further changes will come into effect in April regarding work rights for people on interim visas while they are awaiting the outcome of an AEWV application.
  • AEWV applicants will be allowed to have interim work rights if they apply while holding any type of work visa or from a student visa that permits work during term time.
  • The changes also enable time spent on an interim visa that allows work to be considered when calculating a migrant’s total continuous stay under an AEWV.

Additional Information: As BAL reported, a number of changes have been announced recently for AEWVs, and changes to the median wage and work rights for people on interim visas correspond with government reforms to make immigration settings more flexible and responsive to the differing needs of businesses in certain sectors and regions. Immigration New Zealand is expected to roll out additional changes over the course of 2025 as a result. BAL will continue to provide more information as it becomes available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

Upcoming changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) are expected March 10 and will impact both employers and workers.

Key Points:

  • As BAL reported, the government announced reforms to the AEWV in December 2024 to be implemented in four different stages throughout 2025. Phase two of these changes will be implemented on March 10.
  • Five key updates will take place on this date:
    • First, the median wage requirement/thresholds will be removed for all AEWV roles. Employers will still need to pay market rate for the job and location, and this change does not affect existing employment agreements.
    • Second, AEWV migrants will need to earn at least NZ$55,844 (about US$31,595) a year to support dependent children for visas, along with meeting other criteria.
    • Third, AEWV applicants will require two years of relevant work experience (down from three years).
    • Fourth, the visa duration for Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level 4 or 5 AEWV holders will be increased to three years.
    • Finally, the current requirement for employers to engage with the Work and Income department will be amended to be declaration-based, and the 21-day time frame currently set for the engagement will be removed.

Additional Information: In addition, as BAL reported, the government is transitioning from the ANZSCO to the National Occupation List (NOL). Effective March 10, officials will clarify the classification of certain ANZSCO skill level 3 roles to align with their skill level in the NOL. More information on the specific roles can be found here.

These important updates are designed to support employers and allow them to better fill skill gaps. The changes are also being implemented to ensure migrants are sufficiently skilled while addressing key issues the government is focusing on in 2025.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

The New Zealand government announced changes to the allocation process for international student visa applications and the Active Investor Plus Visa.

Key Points:

  • Officials stated that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will now prioritize visa applications from students who are in New Zealand and applying for a second or subsequent international student visa with a new provider or for a different course.
    • INZ will continue to process other international student visa applications in date order.
  • Additionally, beginning April 1, the government will implement changes to the Active Investor Plus Visa.
    • The changes will introduce two simplified investment categories, Growth and Balanced, and create a minimum investment amount for those categories of NZ$5 million (about US$2.8 million) for Growth and NZ$10 million (about US$5.6 million) for Balanced.
    • The changes also include broadening the scope of acceptable investments, fewer immigration requirements for migrants who choose more active investments and removing English language requirements.

Additional Information: While the government is reducing the time Growth and Balanced category visa holders must make their investments (within six months of their approval), they are offering the option to apply for a six-month extension. Overall, the government believes the changes will help attract high value investment and incentivize people to invest in New Zealand.

For the change in allocation process for international student visa applications, the government intends to improve visa processing times for international students and provide more flexibility and efficiency before the peak summer period.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

The New Zealand government announced relaxed visitor visa conditions for those who work for overseas employers while visiting New Zealand.

Key Points:

  • The new visa conditions allow visitor visa recipients and people who enter with a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) to work remotely for an overseas employer or client.
  • Effective Jan. 27, all visitors, including tourists and people visiting family as well as partners and guardians on longer-term visitor visas, will now be allowed to work remotely for an overseas employer or client.
  • Strict limitations on undertaking productive work on a visitor visa were previously in effect.

Additional Information: Visitor visa holders are not able to work for a New Zealand employer, provide goods or services to people or businesses in New Zealand or do work that requires them to be physically present at a workplace in New Zealand.

Officials stated that these new conditions are designed to encourage tourists to stay longer in New Zealand and allow them to keep in touch with work in their home country without breaching their visa conditions as digital nomads. More information about this change and how it relates to the government’s economic growth priorities can be found here.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

The New Zealand government announced significant changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) in 2025.

Key Points:

  • The changes will be implemented in four different stages throughout 2025.
  • Beginning Jan. 27, 2025, the government will remove the requirement for all current and future accredited employers and recognized seasonal employers to complete Employment New Zealand’s online modules or offer migrants paid time to complete them.
  • In March, five key updates will take place:
    • First, the median wage requirement/thresholds will be removed for all AEWV roles. Employers will still need to pay market rate for the job and location, and this change does not affect existing employment agreements.
    • Second, AEWV migrants will need to earn at least NZ$55,844 (about US$31,595) a year to support dependent children for visas, along with meeting other criteria.
    • Third, AEWV applicants will require two years of relevant work experience (down from three years).
    • Fourth, the visa duration for ANZSCO Level 4 or 5 AEWV holders will be increased to three years.
    • Finally, the current requirement for employers to engage with the Work and Income department will be amended to be declaration-based, and the 21-day time frame currently set for the engagement will be removed.

Additional Information: In addition, the government is introducing greater work rights for interim visas in April and two new pathways for seasonal workers in November. Officials also stated that a new job check process will be introduced in mid-2025 to further streamline the process for low-risk employers and help reduce processing times.

BAL Analysis: More information about these changes is expected in early 2025. These important updates — including removing the median wage threshold, reducing experience requirements to two years and introducing new seasonal visa pathways — are designed to support employers and allow them to better fill skill gaps. The changes are also being implemented to ensure migrants are sufficiently skilled while addressing key issues the government is focusing on in 2025.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

The New Zealand government announced changes to provide open work rights to more partners of migrant workers, allowing them to work for any employer.

Key Points:

  • Beginning Dec. 2, open work rights will be available to:
    • All partners of Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) holders who work in an Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) Level 1-3 role and earn at least NZ$25.29 an hour (about US$15).
    • Partners of AEWV holders earning at least NZ$25.29 an hour who have been supporting a partner for a work visa on since June 26.
    • All partners of Essential Skills work visa holders earning at least NZ$25.29 an hour.
    • Partners of AEWV holders working in an ANZSCO Level 4-5 role will also qualify if the holder is earning at least NZ$47.41 an hour (150% of the standard median wage), or at least NZ$31.61 an hour in a role on the Green List, or at least NZ$25.29 an hour (80% of the standard median wage) and meeting the requirements of a role in the Transport or Care Sector Agreements.

Additional Information: Current holders of partner work visas with specific employment conditions will be able to apply to vary their visa conditions to switch to open work rights beginning Dec. 2 if their partner meets any of the above situations.

BAL Analysis: As BAL reported, the government also recently increased the maximum duration of work and visitor visas for partners of New Zealand citizens and residence class visa holders. The government hopes these changes will help families stay together, provide additional flexibility and attract and retain the workers New Zealand needs to fill gaps in sectors facing skill and labor shortages.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

The New Zealand government announced the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) will soon be replaced with separate systems for both countries.

Key Points:

  • ANZSCO is used by Immigration New Zealand for visa applications and grades occupations with skill levels ranging from 1 to 5, with 1 being the most skilled and 5 being the least skilled.
  • A new classification system called the National Occupation List will be released on Nov. 20. However, Immigration New Zealand will continue using ANZSCO in the transition period and will publish an official date for the switch-over in 2025.

Additional Information: More information on the new National Occupation List from Statistics New Zealand can be found here. Officials stated that the replacement of ANZSCO resulted from a consultation period between the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Statistics New Zealand that determined separate systems would be preferred due to significant changes in the labor market in both countries.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

The New Zealand government is increasing the maximum duration of work and visitor visas for partners of New Zealand citizens and residence class visa holders.

Key Points:

  • Partners must have been living together for at least 12 months to qualify.
  • The maximum duration for work and visitor visas will increase to three years, from the previous two-year maximum duration.
  • The policy change will apply to applications received after Oct. 1 as well as applications submitted before that date that have not received a decision.

Additional Information: Current visa holders will not have their visas automatically extended and will need to submit a new application to receive the longer duration. The government intends the change to provide additional flexibility for partners of New Zealand citizens.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

Immigration New Zealand is implementing changes for accredited employers, effective Oct. 7.

Key Points:

  • At that time, accredited employers will need to provide the Work and Income department with a company contact person responsible for hiring decisions, such as a hiring manager, human resources manager or owner/operator for most ANZSCO Level 4 or 5 vacancies at the Job Check stage.
  • The government expects accredited employers to engage directly at the Work and Income stage, removing the ability of immigration lawyers or licensed advisers to complete this information on behalf of employers.
  • Officials noted the difficulty of engaging with employers about potential job applicants, as most Work and Income sections have only an immigration professional’s contact details, and stated that the change will encourage accredited employers to genuinely test the domestic labor market.

Additional Information: Accredited employers may still use external organizations to complete the Work and Income engagement process, provided that the organization remains involved in hiring decisions.

BAL Analysis: These changes are designed to address concerns raised by particular sectors for temporary work visas and improve the current processes.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.