New Zealand – seems the Minister of Immigration[Faafoi] has been conducting meetings with an elite few.
*Note: this information is not confirmed but we thought it’s best to give you a heads-up, as “soon” ends up been “very soon”.
Summary of what was discussed on 14 September:
- An official announcement is expected between early to mid-October re.Skilled Migrant Category [“SMC”] policy AND how Immigration New Zealand will handle the Expression of Interest [“EOI”] pool within the immigration system;
- Immigration New Zealand may consider prioritising current SMC applications with 18 or 19 year old dependent children [as they cannot study or work as domestic students] whilst awaiting the lengthy processing times of their parents’ resident visas application [18-27 months];
- current Work to Residence (Talent) work visas pathways will end on 31 October 2021;
- Residence From Work visa applications following on from Work to Residence (Talent) work visas will still be processed; AND
- the new Accredited Employer Work Visa will replace the SIX existing work visas and will be implemented during June 2022, as planned.
Moving forward:
In our opinion, we foresee various immigration policies changing to accommodate the above changes. There are so many unanswered questions, especially with regard to the Resident Pathways and how these changes will impact migrant workers.
We will provide official announcements once there is a formally announcement. In the meantime, PREPARE to lodge new visas applications if your pathways will be affected. However, WAIT until the official announcements are made to save you some time and money.
Feel free to contact us at Admin@a2nz-immigration.com