Change is constant - never a truer word has been said in terms of the New Zealand immigration process and this week has seen more changes announced, which will take effect in March (just a couple of weeks away). These updates were foreshadowed in previous announcements so don’t come as a significant surprise, but of course it is always interesting to see the details when they finally land.

So, this week we will be taking a look at the key changes being released, what they mean for applicants and how this might all develop in terms of some of our other immigration policies, particularly as it applies to Residence. Considering the bulk of these changes are in relation to Work Visa policy, which has a natural link to Residence, there are some clues to be extracted here.

Last Sunday, the Government rolled out plans for an update to our Active Investor Visa category, which has attracted a substantial amount of interest both from potential applicants but also the local press and other commentators. The changes are pretty significant, but in many ways are a bit of a “back to the future” moment.

The investor visa has always been an interesting category for the Government, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) and of course for applicants. It is, in my view, an absolutely necessary part of our visa ecosystem, but it does create a level of, sometimes heated, opinion amongst the local populace.

This week’s article is a bit of a walk back through the investor category and its history, what the recently announced changes will mean for future applicants and some of the things, potential investor applicants should consider if they are keen to move ahead with the process.

Unlike Santa who makes a list and checks it twice, our immigration equivalent (the Green List) is checked once in a blue moon and probably could do with being updated a little more often. The idea of the Green List, what it does, how it works and whether it is an accurate depiction of skills we need, are questions I have heard a lot recently.

So, this week, we take a closer look at what the Green List actually is, how it works in terms of both Temporary and Resident Visa options and some of the issues that the us of lists can create for applicants. If you fancy knowing whether you are on this list, we also have a Green List Checker, available on our website (but head over there a bit later on).

There are two things that have consumed my email inbox this week (asides from of course the work we do for clients), one of those was the roll out of New Zealand’s version of the Digital Nomad Visa and the other was bacon.

The bacon issue is an entirely different story, which you can ask me about one day, however this article is obviously not about smallgoods, but of course the rise of the digital nomads and what our recent announcement means for those that might be keen to try it.

We also take a look at how this small change might benefit those looking at a longer term plan (as a skilled migrant) and also what this move represents for the future of some of our other visa policies.

The news media in New Zealand this week has had plenty to discuss, given our Prime Minister (Christopher Luxon) delivered his second “State of the Nation” speech yesterday, during which he rolled out a pretty strong agenda for growth. In fact, amongst many quick one-liners, the stand out was this one “We have to go for growth. It isn’t up for negotiation any more.”.

Given New Zealand has been dragging its heals over the last few years, trying to shake off the post-Covid hangover, this sort of rallying cry is potentially long overdue. There are some fairly grand plans in here to target a variety of sectors and to lift overall economic performance - the message being that saying no to things that might generate us an income is not language that this Government wants to entertain.

I am not sure about you, but the beginning of a new year, brings mixed feelings…there is the hopeful optimism of a full year ahead with all the potential opportunities it might bring, and then of course the post-holiday hangover, and having to pull yourself away from the beach and barbecue and back to reality.

This time of the year also brings about a lot of interest from those looking to make the move, typically because its the start of the year and there is something about doing dramatic, life-changing things at the start of a year, that makes sense for a lot of people. I get it…you have had time away from the daily grind and to contemplate whether a life abroad might be the next big step.

For those of you who have made that decision, then this article is for you. Of course if you are already here, there will be some useful information in here as well, but this is really aimed at the new years resolutions folks - the ones who have decided that 2025 is the year to move ahead with their plans to make New Zealand home.

Before we sign off for the year (we close today) and everyone in New Zealand heads to the beach, BBQ’s and spending time with family (fighting over the Christmas ham), we thought it would be good to wrap this year up with a bow and send it off in style. So a final post, with a few highlights from 2024, not only in the visa space but from around the country.

For some of you, 2025 might be the year, you decide to make the move and some of what we have outlined below will help you be better informed as you make that decision. For others, who are already here, having run the visa gauntlet over the last 12 months, you will be able to appreciate what an interesting year it has been in Aotearoa.

The week before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a …. well okay, a few things were stirring, including policy makers within the halls of Immigration New Zealand. On Tuesday of this week, the Government rolled out a second round of changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) system. The changes feel a a bit like the ghosts of Christmas past, with echoes of previous policy floating around and hints that we might be dropping some of the more rigid and almost unnecessary parts of the Accreditation process for employers, harking back to the old Essential Skills system.

The changes also come hot on the heels of some our most interesting net migration numbers, and whether that was a coincidence or possibly a little of bit of clever timing, is something to consider. Either way, the Government is clearly trying to steady the ship and rolling back aspects of the AEWV to policy settings of the past, without fully dismantling the system (a system that has cost a significant amount to implement).

We take a look at what is changing, why and what further changes might come about in the year ahead.

A couple of weeks back, I authored an article on some of things that aren’t immediately obvious in the visa world, and that include a very brief commentary on INZ’s decision to decline a visa application from Candace Owens. If you don’t who she is, I would suggest a very brief google review. Candace is essentially a very controversial social and political commentator whose views are considered far-right and in the extreme (and some of them could be considered by some to be slightly off planet).

The decision to decline Miss Owens a visa to travel here and undertake a speaking engagement was based on the fact that our Australian counterparts had decided to do the same, in the interests of protecting the public. New Zealand seemed to simply follow along, and decided to decline the application using a very particular part of the Act, arguing that Miss Owens had been “excluded” from Australia.

However during the course of this week, the Associate Minister of Immigration, decided to turn the wheel, enacting a visa ‘U-turn’ for Miss Owens, deciding to overturn INZ’s previous decision and to grant her a visa. A bold move, given Australia’s position, but ultimately in my view the right one.

There is no doubt that artificial intelligence or AI is here to stay and in fact, it is slowly finding its way in to almost every aspect of our lives. Washing machines that can work out to wash you clothes, cars that (almost) drive themselves and applications that you can talk to in case you might get a little lonely. The rapid rise of AI and its integration into our daily lives is pretty impressive and also potentially a little bit scary.

Whilst these systems have caught on very quickly, it is also important to remember that they are just systems and despite our quick adoption of the words artificial intelligence, we actually haven’t achieved that yet. What we have achieved is enormously sophisticated programs that can rapidly compare, contrast and interpret vast sets of data, to give you what appears to be an intelligent answer.

It has been quite the busy week for INZ in the media, with two very interesting scenarios playing out across our major news outlets. The first being the review, by INZ, of the activities of internet sensation IShowSpeed (aka Darren Watkins Junior) who toured NZ, filming his antics for the sake of his faithful followers, but doing so whilst here on a Visitor Visa. It appears INZ might have a few questions as to whether he was actually “visiting” or indeed working here, without the legal right to do so.

The second item to make the news, only today, was the cancellation of a visa for Candace Owens, a notable conservative political commentator who ironically did apply for a Work Visa in order to attend a public engagement here in February but who was declined by INZ, largely because she was also declined to undertake the same engagement in Australia.

33 days left until Christmas (34 for some of you reading this) and as we head in to the holiday season, with the weather warming up, days getting longer and the thought of some time off on most people’s minds, there will be plenty of others, considering a summer in New Zealand - not a bad idea at all. If you were however planning to spend time here over the holidays, taking in the sights or visiting family and you need a visa, then securing that before the end of the year could be a bit tricky.

INZ has various peak periods during the year, usually centered on the holiday season (this one coming up) and the influx of students at various start dates, with February and Marching being the most significant. So securing a visa now, with timeframes where they are might be challenging. If you are looking to come over and do need to apply, then my advice would be to file in a hurry or you might end up having to delay that trip.

Yesterday the Office of the Auditor General (OAG for short) published its review in to the Skilled Migrant Category, which comes as a bit of a precursor to the Minister’s promises to review this system in the near future. The report highlights things that our industry has been saying for many years and something I have been particularly vocal on - there is a definite lack of clarity and simplicity in the process which leads to longer processing times (in some cases) and challenges in filing applications that are ‘decision’ ready and can be swiftly dispatched.

These issues sit on top of very complicated and difficult to navigate technology platforms - the irony being that those platforms have had huge funding poured in to them. The report makes it fairly clear that this group of applicants (skilled migrants) are a focus point for New Zealand, particularly given the international hunt for talent that continues…

Going toe to toe with the immigration process can sometimes feel like ten rounds in a heavyweight boxing match. You go in with a plan, a strategy and a burning desire to win but along the way you get knocked down, pull yourself back up only for it all to happen again. You hopefully finish the fight a little battered and a little bruised, but holding your title belt high above your head.

In this week’s article we look at what it actually takes to make this work and to do so, I am going to be leaning on a very recent client experience, one, which in my view, demonstrates just how important it is to plan, prepare and be ready for a few knocks along the way. My ‘mantra’ if I had one is that you can never underestimate the amount of preparation that goes in to a move like this but at the same time you have to build in a good degree of flexibility (so you can dodge whatever blows the process might be trying to land on you).

Going toe to toe with the immigration process can sometimes feel like ten rounds in a heavyweight boxing match. You go in with a plan, a strategy and a burning desire to win but along the way you get knocked down, pull yourself back up only for it all to happen again. You hopefully finish the fight a little battered and a little bruised, but holding your title belt high above your head.

In this week’s article we look at what it actually takes to make this work and to do so, I am going to be leaning on a very recent client experience, one, which in my view, demonstrates just how important it is to plan, prepare and be ready for a few knocks along the way. My ‘mantra’ if I had one is that you can never underestimate the amount of preparation that goes in to a move like this but at the same time you have to build in a good degree of flexibility (so you can dodge whatever blows the process might be trying to land on you).

Big news this week, from INZ, with changes being rolled out to partners who wish to join Work Visa holders in New Zealand. The changes mean that for most of these partners, they will now have (once more) the freedom to work for whoever they wish, earning whatever they like, as opposed to the restrictions that the previous Government rolled out in May 2023.

While it might not seem earth-shattering, it is a crucial change to our overall system, because the previous conditions and restrictions were a handbrake on our ability to attract the right people. So a big step in the right direction in terms of New Zealand being able to market itself as a top migrant destination.

As I commuted to work the other day, and scouring my regular news sources for updates on what might be happening around the globe, the first thing that appeared was an article showing the potential leader of the free world, dancing on stage like some sort of bizarre seaweed for roughly 40 minutes. That’s right, the American presidential candidate, Mr. D Trump, the man who might just end up being the most significant player in geopolitical events, was wafting around the stage, with the Village People playing in the background.

The world is indeed a very interesting place. There are probably a few more terms that people might use to describe the state of our planet, but interesting at least “safe for work”.

This article is going to potentially ruffle a few feathers, and before I launch in to the details, I will add this is very much an opinion piece, which I know people will have counter-opinions on. I do however believe that it is a subject worth discussing because it impacts on a significant number of migrants, all of whom are sacrificing substantial amounts of money and time, in to pursuing a dream to study in NZ, that is often being misrepresented, manipulated or simply exploited for sake of lining a few peoples pockets.

Actually, when it comes to those pockets being lined, it would be more accurate to say that there is a river of money flowing, between New Zealand based tertiary institutions and so called “Student Visa Agents” in commissions, which are really nothing more than kick-backs for these individuals steering people to take on particular courses (usually the ones where the kick backs are more lucrative).

These four words “your application is incomplete” are probably going to be fairly commonly heard amongst the many applicants who rushed to file their New Zealand visa applications, before the 01 October fee increases, which came in to effect on Tuesday of this week. Judging by the wobbly status of INZ’s online systems on the previous Thursday, Friday and then the final Monday before the increase, there were a lot of people clicking buttons, to avoid those extra costs and overwhelming the system.

Inevitably that will also mean there are a lot of applications that have been submitted with items missing, documents incomplete or potentially for some who don’t actually qualify. For those who have submitted their applications, taking a few shortcuts along the way, the next few months could become very stressful, and potentially very expensive, if INZ decides not to move the application forward. You might have saved some money now, only to find you end up paying twice for your application to be successful.

Earlier this week, the Government updated the rules for partnership visas, meaning that partners to NZ citizens or resident visa holders, could secure a three year work visa, rather than the current two - that is on the basis that you have been living together for at least 12 months (if less than 12 months, then you still end up with a 12-month work visa, so no change there). This change was to bring one partnership pathway in to line with another (partners to temporary work visa holders).

With all of these rules flying about, it became pretty apparent that there is a fair degree of confusion as to how partnership work visas actually function, what people are entitled to and the different approaches between partners to work visa holders and those in a relationship with a citizen or resident.