Today marks the launch of the Accredited Employer Work Visa’s last phase.
Foreign nationals may seek to work for a recognized employer in New Zealand.
As of right now, partners and dependents of those seeking work visas can also apply for visas.
As work visa applications for persons living abroad become available today, New Zealand has made a big advancement in its Reconnecting programme, according to Immigration Minister Michael Wood.
Today marks the beginning of the third and last stage of the new, more straightforward Accredited Firm Work Visa (AEWV) policy, which enables people from other countries to apply for a work visa in order to come to New Zealand and work for an accredited employer.
“We are aware that the current access to skilled labor is a significant business barrier.
This is taking place all over the world, but the Accredited Employer Work Visa will help by expanding the pool of workers who can fill skilled job shortages, according to Michael Wood.
“The opening of this visa builds on our prior work, which included approving 60,000 migrants for residency through the one-time 2021 Resident Visa, as well as approvals for over 33,000 important employees, 13,000 working vacationers, and over 33,000 other workers.
The AEWV is important to the government’s Immigration Rebalance and is focused on giving New Zealand the skills we require while making sure that immigrants are treated properly.
We think that in some instances, the former system encouraged a low-cost labor model that was neither beneficial to our nation nor to migrant workers.
As a result, the AEWV is focused on the mandate to pay at the median wage, with only a few exceptions for industries going through a transition.
“We look forward to working with important industries to improve compensation and working conditions so that it is easier to recruit New Zealand workers and for smoother paths to recruit foreign workers on the basis of skill and necessity, not low-cost labor.”
Employers must be accredited and have finished a work check in order to hire an offshore migrant under the new AEWV policy.
Applications for accreditation became available on May 23. As of today, 5,666 applications have been submitted. 4,322 of them have received approval.
On June 20, job check applications became available; as of today, 732 have been submitted. Before a migrant may apply for the position, an employer must get their job check approved.
“The job check is a crucial component of the new AEWV process for hiring an immigrant from abroad, and it is crucial that employers supply all the information required to show they have complied with the job check’s requirements.
This includes verification of a legitimate job offer, a work description, and an employment contract, as well as evidence that the position has been advertised for at least two weeks if it earns less than twice the median income or is not on the Green List.
When the application is properly filled out, processing time for working visa requests is anticipated to take 20 working days.
Starting today, applicants for work visas can now apply for visas on behalf of their partners and dependents.
“Reconnecting New Zealand is not just about expanding businesses and our economy; it’s also about reuniting families who have been separated because they haven’t been able to apply for a visa from abroad due to border constraints.
It will be simpler for migrant workers to bring their families to New Zealand by opening up visa applications for partners and dependents of workers who are seeking for work visas, which will make our country more appealing as a place to live and work.
After the end of the month, New Zealand’s borders will be completely open to visitors and students from across the world.
In order to satisfy the anticipated demand, Immigration New Zealand has also stepped up efforts to hire and train more employees, bringing on 230 Immigration Officers in the year ending May 31.
Additionally, the government has made adjustments to assist in reuniting more refugee families.
“Starting on July 1, 2022, there will be 600 spots available annually under the Refugee Family Support Category (RFSC).
“We have also eliminated the RFSC-related expenses, such as the registration charge for sponsors, the application fee, and the immigration levy. The financial strain on sponsors and candidates will be lessened as a result.
“Sponsors and their families are also receiving a variety of additional supports to help them travel to New Zealand and integrate into their new communities.
Together, these RFSC improvements will make it possible for more of the refugees living in New Zealand to be reunited with their families, according to Michael Wood.