After more than two years of strict coronavirus restrictions that closed the border, New Zealand will return to the rest of the world on July 31.
The shift will take place two months sooner than the government had anticipated.
The final stage of the staged border reopening will allow all visa categories, including visitors, workers, families, and students, to enter the nation.
‘New Zealand is in high demand, and we are now fully open for business,’ said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Families, businesses, and our migrant communities will be relieved to hear this.
‘It also gives airlines and cruise ship businesses clarity and time to prepare for a return to New Zealand during the high spring and summer seasons.’
Ms Ardern unveiled immigration changes during a Business NZ lunch in Auckland on Wednesday, including access to residency for highly talented workers in high demand around the world.
By July 31, New Zealand’s overseas education sector will be fully operational, but with new safeguards in place to prevent it from being exploited as a “backdoor route to residency.”
The adjustments, according to the Prime Minister, will assist the country solve talent shortages and accelerate its economic recovery from Covid-19.