Update

Immigration New Zealand have confirmed that a new one-off residence visa pathway will be introduced.

General eligibility requirements have been released, these are as follows:

To be eligible, applicants must:

• have been in New Zealand on 29 September 2021, and

• be on an eligible visa or have applied for an eligible visa before 29 September 2021 that is later granted.

In addition, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

• have lived in New Zealand for three or more years, or

• earn at or above the median wage ($27 per hour), or

• work in a role on a scarce list

Key dates and key points:

1. Applicants must meet requirements on 29 September 2021.
2. Phase 1 applications can be submitted from 1 December 2021 if you have submitted:
   1. A SMC RV application; OR
   2. A Residence From Work application; OR
   3. An SMC Expression of EOI which included a dependent child aged 17 years or older.
3. Phase 2 applications can be submitted from 1 March 2022 for all other eligible applicants.
4. These will be online applications.
5. All applications must be submitted by 31 July 2022.

Our thoughts

This is very positive news for work visa holders in New Zealand that are clearly able to meet requirements. We anticipate work visa holders will want to check their eligibility.

Our advice

We recommend contacting us if you or your employees have any questions in relation to the new policy. Please note that only general eligibility requirements have been released. The finer details will be contained in the policy that should be released in the coming months.

We anticipate that employees will want assurance that they meet the general eligibility requirements. Please contact us if you or someone you know requires assistance with assessments against the general eligibility requirements that have been released.