New Zealand tightens migrant visa conditions
Following in the footsteps of Australia, the New Zealand government has issued a second round of changes for high- and low-skilled migrant worker visas. The most unexpected is raising the minimum salary requirement.
This has caused a stir of uncertainty among educators and agents, especially after the recent increase in the points’ requirement.
Under the change, visa applicants will now need a minimum income of $48,859 per year for an occupation considered skilled and $73,299 per year for an occupation not considered skilled. According to the New Zealand immigration website:
- Applicants with jobs at ANZSCO skill levels 1, 2 and 3 will only be awarded points for their employment if they are paid at or above NZ$48,859 per year (or NZ$23.49 per hour).
- Applicants with jobs that are not in ANZSCO skill level 1, 2 or 3 occupations may be assessed as being in skilled employment if they are paid at or above NZ$73,299 per year (or NZ$35.24 per hour).
In a recent public statement, New Zealand Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse said that the government had a “Kiwis first approach” to immigration.
“These changes are designed to strike the right balance between reinforcing the temporary nature of Essential Skills work visas and encouraging employers to take on more Kiwis and invest in the training to upskill them.”
The above article appeared in this week’s Migration Alliance newsletter
BlueRoo Visas – Perth Migration Agents
