As we move towards Level 3 – here is a summary of what this means for visas, migrant workers and immigration.
Heartland Immigration @ Level 3
We remain fully operational in our homes and committed to providing you with the right advice first time every time.
Employers
- Your work visa employees should all have a visa which is valid until at least the 25 September 2020.
- Limited relaxation of visa conditions and the ability to vary a small number of visas exist.
Migrant Workers
- Ensure you and each member of your family has visas valid until at least the 25 September 2020.
- Understand the conditions attached to your visas.
- Be patient with INZ
Immigration New Zealand (INZ)
For now, INZ has limited capacity with people working from their Wellington head office, and they have some still working remotely from home. They have prioritised their activities to focus on Covid-19 related activities – such as the exceptions to the border closure and subsequent visas, Covid-19 Variation of Conditions. They are also doing applications for those already in New Zealand such as Victims of Family Violence, partnership category temporary visas, full fee-paying student visas and post-study work visas.
The Border
Remains closed except for:
- New Zealanders, Australians & Residents
- Close family of New Zealanders, Australians & Residents
- Critical and essential travellers with special permission
Keep safe. Bí curamach.
A new visa option for essential business employers to redeploy existing migrant staff, has been announced by Immigration New Zealand (INZ).
Employers in essential businesses can now request a ‘variation of condition’ of existing visas for employees who are migrant staff.
These variations include an option to apply for:
• work for the same employer in any occupation
• work for a different employer in the same region
• allow student visa holders full time hours with their existing employer.
While the variation of condition changes the conditions of an existing visa – the length and type of visa remains the same.This is a temporary measure and will allow for changes which will remain in place for six weeks after New Zealand’s move to Level 2 of the COVID-19 alert system.
To qualify – the employer must be providing an essential service as defined by the Covid-19 criteria and the migrant worker must agree to this redeployment or change in hours.
The new temporary employment changes also must meet minimum New Zealand employment standards.
The change is designed to provide essential business employers more flexibility, however this is likely to be of assistance to only a small percentage of employers.
Recruitment of staff with the right skills is always critical, and more challenging in this Covid-19 environment, despite the number of New Zealanders who have or will lose jobs in the coming weeks.
Economic recovery will require skilled migrant workers, when all other avenues to fill vacancies are exhausted, likewise a bureaucracy which is up to the challenge of determining what is in the best interest of New Zealand is needed. Bold forward thinking on immigration matters is interpretative.
Disclaimer: Mary Noonan is Heartland Immigration Ltd Managing Director and her views, expressed in this article are not intended to replace the professional service provided to individual migrants by Licensed Immigration Advisers.
Every year, hundreds of young people flock to our shores – and us to theirs, on working holiday schemes. Immigration New Zealand has announced 19 of these schemes are being put on hold during this global crisis.
Working Holiday visas are agreed at a government to government level allowing thousands of 18 to 30 year-olds, or in the case of our Canadian cousins, up to 35 years-old, leave or arrive into New Zealand on these visas.
While the agreement between each country differs in its detail, what they have in common is they allow young people the opportunity to visit and work in a different country. Many participants work in their professions, however, often they travel around picking up casual work in agriculture, hospitality and retail industries. Here in New Zealand, these workers are a welcome addition for seasonal peaks for many employers. This year however these peaks will need to be serviced from within the local communities.
A number of schemes are uncapped and they remain unaffected however, a proportion have quotas with managed opening, then closing, once the predetermined number has been achieved.
The INZ announcement sees 19 of these schemes being put on hold and not opening for a new intake.
Travel to these countries on the Working Holiday scheme is now on hold:
- Argentina
- Austria
- Brazil
- China
- Croatia
- Estonia
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Peru
- Slovak Republic
- Slovenia
- Spain
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Vietnam.
Regrettably, travel for pleasure is a long way off and this is a sensible measure.
Disclaimer: Mary Noonan is Heartland Immigration Ltd Managing Director and her views, expressed in this article are not intended to replace the professional service provided to individual migrants by a Licensed Immigration Advisers.
Warm Greetings
We’re open and here to help in these difficult times. I assure you the Heartland Immigration team remains committed to helping you and making any immigration or settlement query as simple as possible..
We are set up to work remotely and will answer existing phone numbers and emails as usual during our standard office hours. If the matter is urgent please phone 0800 INZ VISA.
I am very aware you are being bombarded with a huge amount of information, so I will keep this communication brief.
Visas expiring between 2 April and 9 July 2020
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will automatically extend visas due to expire between the 02nd April to the 09th July 2020. They will either send you an email directly or most likely to us, and in that case, we will immediately send that on to you.
There will be delays at INZ, as they have had to send staff home, and not all of their activities can be done remotely, so your patience is appreciated.
Employers
For those operating at top speed, call me now if you have a concern. Let me deal with that worry, freeing you up to do what you do best. For others concentrating on forward planning, don’t forget to consider your visa plans – again this is where I can make it simple for you.
Finally in the words of my ancestors “May God keep you in the palm of his hand until we meet again”
Mary Noonan
Managing Director
While thousands of people around the country are facing joblessness, our managing director, Matt Jones is calling for people who want work.
The need for workers in essential services has increased as a result of implications from the Covid-19 outbreak.
“The work does not stop — it’s ramped up as some of our clients in the primary production sector increase production to meet New Zealand’s needs.
For the full article, click here
July 2019 saw the introduction of the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL). A $NZ35 contribution to New Zealand’s infrastructure and natural environment preservation expenses.
The IVL is collected when travellers apply for visas through Immigration New Zealand (INZ) or for visa free travellers, arriving post 1st October 2019, when they apply for an Electronic Travel Authorities (ETA).
New Zealand, Australian citizens and residents are exempt along with:
– Resident and Transit visas
– Diplomatic, military, medical, and humanitarian visas
– People travelling to Antarctica under the Antarctic Treaty (including people
travelling on the Antarctic Traveller Transit Visa)
– Recognised Seasonal Employment workers
– Business Visitor Visas (including APEC business travel cards)
– Ship and airline crew
– Most visas for dependents (partners and children) of work and student visa
holders
– Travellers whose visa requirements have been waived by INZ
– United Nations laissez-passer document holders
– People from American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall – Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Niue, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, — Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu & Vanuatu.
Delays with processing visa applications
Recent media reports highlight delays at Immigration New Zealand particularly for work, partnership and student visa applications.
The INZ published timeframes for completion of 95% of visitor applications is 45 days, four months for fee paying overseas students, partners of New Zealanders, partners of students and essential skills work visa applications. A year for skilled migrant applications.
Add on the time to attempt to recruit within New Zealand, time to prepare an application and employers face staff gaps in excess of half a year.
I acknowledge that striking the correct balance between facilitating visa applications and protecting New Zealand is difficult. Determining value is also complex. It is however time to define an acceptable risk based on the fact that INZ can’t get it right 100% of the time. What is important is that when mistakes are made they are readily corrected, people are compensated and compliance action taken against those found in breach of our laws.
Allowing delays to continue will see overseas students abandon New Zealand educational institutes, splitting families is never good and for employers desperate to recruit offshore delays cause uncertainty and loss of production. Anxiety levels for clients, family, employers and INZ staff will increase and that in itself becomes counterproductive and reduces wellbeing.
The American politician, attorney and educator Eliot Laurence Spitzer says it best “Delay is the enemy of progress.”
Disclaimer: Mary Noonan is Heartland Immigration Ltd Managing Director and her views, expressed in this article are not intended to replace the professional service provided to individual migrants by a Licensed Immigration Advisers.
