The last month has been hectic to say the least. On the 28th February 2020, New Zealand registered its first confirmed case of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). No one foresaw what was about to unfold, as only a month later our borders were closed to International visitors and the country found itself in a 4 week lock down in an unprecedented government response to the disease. The consequences of this have been felt widespread throughout the country. At this moment in time all Immigration resources are focused on controlling our borders. With the lock down in place many of Immigration's processing departments have closed. On the 25th March the New Zealand government issued an Epidemic management Notice which gives it special powers to handle and deal with such events. Part of this legislation in conjunction with the Immigration Act 2009, allows for special provisions for visa holders . From Thursday 2 April 2020 The New Zealand Government’s Epidemic Management Notice relating to immigration matters comes into effect. People with a work, student, or visitor visa with an expiry date of 1 April 2020 or earlier and who are unable to leave New Zealand must apply online for a new visa. An interim visa will be issued. People with a work, student, visitor, limited or interim visa with an expiry date of 2 April to 9 July 2020 inclusive who are in New Zealand on 2 April 2020 will have their visas automatically extended to 25 September 2020. Confirmation of extensions will be emailed to all visa holders. You can find your visa expiry date in your eVisa letter. How Immigration calculate the timing of which visas will be extended The Immigration Act 2009 governs the timing of which visas are extended and those that aren’t. Visas that will expire within 14 days of the expiry of the epidemic notice are extended. The epidemic notice will expire on 25 June 2020. This means where the visa expiry date stated in the visa is between 2 April and 9 July (inclusive) that visa will be extended. Those visas will now expire on 25 September 2020. Why all visas are not automatically renewed The section in the Immigration Act 2009 (section 78) only applies to temporary entry class visa holders who are in New Zealand and whose visas will expire within 14 days of the expiry of the Epidemic Management Notice. What happens if you are not in New Zealand If you are eligible to receive the extension, you must be onshore at the time the Epidemic Management Notice is issued. If you are not onshore, your visa duration will not be extended. What happens if you are on a limited visa? Limited visas will have their visa expiry date extended as well. You do not need to do anything. What happens if you are on an interim visa? It will be extended, if the expiry date of your interim visa is 14 days before the date that the Epidemic Management Notice will expire (that is, between 2 April and 9 July (inclusive). This extension does not apply to residence visas The extension only applies to temporary class visas (which are work, student, visitor, limited or interim visas) What happens if you leave the country? If you leave New Zealand you are unlikely be able to return because travel to New Zealand is currently restricted. A new visa will replace your extended visa If you are granted a new visa this will replace the visa you have at the moment. The duration of your new visa will be set by immigration instructions. What happens to the conditions on your visa? You will continue to have exactly the same visa conditions. How you can change your visa conditions if necessary (for example, if your employer cannot pay you) It may be difficult for you to make an application to vary the conditions of your current visa; we will provide more information once it is available. The extension can be renewed later If the Epidemic Notice is renewed, and the Epidemic Management Notice will also be renewed and so your visa expiry will be extended again. More information will be given before this happens, so keep an eye on the Immigration New Zealand website. source: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/covid-19
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The Immigration Minister Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway today announced the reopening of the Parent Visa Category which has been closed since 2016. Applications will open in February 2020 but visas are limited and there will only be 1000 spaces per year.
Whilst this has come as great news for many migrants wishing to bring parents over to join them in New Zealand, the new rules have been harder to swallow for some. The main change that has come about with the reopening of this category is surrounding the financial requirements, which will now be based on the income of the sponsor or combined income with their partner over two of the previous 3 years prior to submitting an application.
The changes will remove any financial requirements for the parents which had previously been required. If you are interested in exploring this visa category and the other criteria to be eligible to bring your parent or parents to New Zealand please get in contact to arrange an eligibility consultation at info@easyvisa.co.nz Today Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway has announced changes to the way in which employers support migrant workers for temporary work visas. These changes are the first wave of a set of changes that will be introduced by the government regarding temporary work visas and will be followed by more changes set to be completed by 2021.
These initial changes will be implemented on the 7th October 2019 and will apply to any relevant application submitted on or after this date. Today's announcement details changes relating to the Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa Category. The change to policy includes:
If you have any questions relating to these new announcements, or regarding any New Zealand Immigration issue please contact us to arrange an appointment with our licensed adviser at www.EasyVisa.co.nz source: www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/media-centre/news-notifications/changes-talent-accredited-employer-work-visa The beginning of April sees New Zealand's minimum wage rise to $17.70, up $1.20 from $16.50. This is the second scheduled minimum wage increase after the government announced in 2017 that it would be looking to increase the minimum wage to $20 by 2021. The next increase is scheduled for April 2020.
From 1 October 2019, all air travellers from 60 visa waiver countries, and all cruise travellers, will need to hold an ETA before travelling to New Zealand.
An ETA is an Electronic Travel Authority that will allow Immigration New Zealand to pre-screen travellers prior to arriving at the border. The purpose of the introduction of ETA’s is to speed up immigration clearance and reduce the number of passengers being refused entry at the border. Applying for an ETA is very simple and can be processed online or through a mobile phone app. Applications made through the mobile app will cost NZD$9, or NZD$12 if processed through a web browser. Once granted, an ETA will be valid for 2 years. In addition to the new ETA, an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) will also be introduced, also valid for 2 years. The NZD$35 levy is intended to collect revenue to support tourism infrastructure and conservation activity. For further information and details on exceptions to the above information please visit: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/media-centre/news-notifications/government-confirms-electronic-travel-authority-details As part of Immigration New Zealand's annual review, changes have been announced to the Essential Skills work visa and Skilled Migrant Category resident visa remuneration thresholds. Reflecting the increase in median salaries, up 2.9% over the previous year, an increase in the pay thresholds for both the Skilled Migrant Category and the Essential Skills visa categories will be introduced effective from the 26th November as follows:
If you are unsure as to how these changes may impact your situation get in contact today with Easy Visa to arrange a consultation and plan for your future: www.easyvisa.co.nz
Quality of life, Healthcare, Work/life balance, Safety......
These are just some of the factors that expats rated highly whilst living in New Zealand according to the 2018 HSBC global expat explorer study. For the second year running, New Zealand has placed 2nd overall as the country expats most enjoy living in. 22,000 expats took part in the survey, ranking a range of criteria based on experience, economics and family. "With its breath-taking scenery and inviting outdoor lifestyle, welcoming atmosphere and personal benefits that can last a lifetime, the expats who have moved to New Zealand from every corner of the world are convinced they made a great choice." Which factors are important to you when choosing where to live and raise your family? View the complete report at www.expatexplorer.hsbc.com/global-report Following a public consultation, Government has come up with changes to immigration settings that impact post-study work rights for international students.
The changes are -
These changes come into effect on 26 November 2018. Source: www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/media-centre/news-notifications/changes-to-post-study-work-rights-for-international-students Immigration New Zealand are preparing plans to increase the application costs associated with select visas to cover a shortfall in operating costs. Despite recent attempts to streamline the application process, the operating costs of Immigration New Zealand have still increased. Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway said an increase in migrant trafficking and exploitation was to blame for increasing visa processing costs. Checks were becoming more rigorous, therefore taking longer. In order to make up the deficit, Immigration are looking to hike the cost of Work Visa applications by 54 percent. Under the proposals which could be introduced as early as November 2018 :
Even with the price increase the cost of New Zealand Visas would be still be competitive in comparison to other countries such as Canada and lower than both the UK and Australia. If you are looking for professional visa assistance be sure to contact us at www.easyvisa.co.nz to see how we can help. Source: http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/border-changes/immigration-fees-and-levies-review/consultation-document-fees-and-levies.pdf Wow, what a year 2017 has been! This year we have seen big changes to immigration policy being introduced and with the change of government we are expecting further changes in 2018.
As always, to keep abreast of any changes as they happen make sure to like our Facebook page - www.facebook.com/easyvisawanaka/ or visit our news blog on our website - www.easyvisa.co.nz Easy Visa would like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of our clients and the businesses who have supported us over the last year. With the holiday season approaching we will be taking a well deserved break, closing down from the 23rd December and then reopening on January 3rd 2018. We wish you all an enjoyable holiday season and we will see you in the New Year! |
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