ROUNDUP FOR IMMIGRATION PROFESSIONALS

KEY UPDATES
Here is a summary of recent key operational and policy updates about the immigration system. Please note this is not an
exhaustive list of updates. For more information about any of the updates below, please visit the relevant page on
Immigration New Zealand’s (INZ’s) website.
You can also check out our announcements, media releases, stories, and common topics on our News Centre on the INZ
website.

24 APRIL 2024

› Registrations to open for the 2024 Samoan Quota and the Pacific Access Category on Monday 20 May 2024 at 8:00 New
Zealand Standard Time (NZST).

› This year, up to 1,650 Samoan citizens, 250 Tongan and 250 Fijian citizens and 75 Kiribati and 75 Tuvaluan citizens will be
granted residence. Registration for the annual ballot can be done online. Guides and flyers are available in English and
Samoan for the Samoan Quota, and in several Pacific languages for Pacific Access Category.

12 APRIL 2024
› Immigration New Zealand is aware that some employers, or their representatives, are experiencing issues when
attempting to remove someone's shared access to their employer accreditation records in Immigration Online. If you are
unable to use the ‘remove access’ function, you can call our Customer Service Centre on 0800 542 469 who can stop sharing
these records on your behalf.

7 APRIL 2024
› Changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) were announced on 7 April 2024. Many of the changes apply to
current AEWV holders and new applicants, as well as employers. For current AEWV holders, these changes could affect the
length of time they are allowed to stay in New Zealand. For new applicants, there will be a new minimum skill requirement,
minimum standard of English requirement, and shorter visa length and stay in New Zealand for some jobs. Please see the INZ
website for the full details.
Check the tables on this web page to find out the length of someone’s maximum continuous stay and how much time they
must spend outside New Zealand.
› You can watch the recording for the AEWV Changes Webinar for immigration professionals online.
› A Q&A webinar for immigration professionals will be held on 6 May 2024.
› Changes to occupations eligible for Transport Sector Work to Residence and Green List Straight to Residence Visas were
announced on 7 April 2024. More information on how these changes affect bus and truck drivers, Green List roles and
Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement is available on the INZ website

3 APRIL 2024

› Secondary school teachers are now on to the Straight to Residence pathway on the Green List of in-demand roles
(effective 1 May 2024). The change allows eligible overseas secondary school teachers to apply for residence from outside
New Zealand when they have an offer of employment with an accredited employer, and without needing to work for two
years in New Zealand first.

2 APRIL 2024

› From 11 April 2024, new tools have been made available to INZ to address lower level immigration non-compliance by the
smaller number of employers who are not following the rules. These tools will enable INZ to issue an infringement notice to
employers who are found to be employing people in breach of their visa conditions, employing people unlawfully in New
Zealand, or failing to comply with a 10-day information request. More information on the infringement scheme is available
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on the Media Releases page on the INZ website.

21 MARCH 2024
› As of 21 March 2024, education agent performance data has been updated on the INZ website. Data on student visa
decisions for applicants from outside New Zealand in 2023 is also updated. The reports do not include education agents with
low application volumes and applications that were withdrawn or lapsed. Please refer to terms of use and data accuracy
disclaimer for information on how to use the data.

12 MARCH 2024

› The List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment (LQEA) has been updated to include more countries and also includes
changes to countries already on the list. The INZ website contains information on the countries that are affected.

11 MARCH 2024

› A new Ukraine Resident Visa opened on 16 March 2024 allowing people with a 2022 Special Ukraine Visa and their
partners and children to live, work and study in New Zealand permanently. This visa will remain open for two years, and
applications must be made on or before 16 March 2026.

KEY STATISTICS
Statistics about visa application processing and decisions for some of INZ’s key visa categories are listed below, and are
correct as at 17 April 2024 unless otherwise stated. Processing timeframes are based on applications decided in March 2024,
unless otherwise stated.
AEWV
› INZ has received 36,594 employer accreditation applications since applications opened on 23 May 2022.
› Job Check applications opened on 20 June 2022. INZ has received 69,783 applications, equating to 304,410 jobs. Of those, 65,834 Job Check
applications have been approved, equating to 286,948 jobs.
› INZ has received 129,173 work visa applications and approved 117,929 since applications opened on 4 July 2022.
› Our website contains current processing estimates for all three AEWV gateways. The timeframes shown for AEWV, Employer Accreditation
and Job Check applications made before 7 April 2024 are based on 80% of applications made in March 2024. Due to changes made to the
Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) on 7 April 2024, the timeframes shown for AEWV, Employer Accreditation and Job Check
applications made on or after 7 April 2024 are best estimates only.
› You can read more about AEWV on the INZ website. We publish fortnightly statistics and information updates to this page: Accredited
Employer Work Visa (AEWV) | Immigration New Zealand
VISITOR AND STUDENT VISA

› Since visitor visa applications opened to visitors offshore on 31 July 2022, INZ has received 837,266 applications. 80% of visitor visa
applications are processed within two weeks. This timeframe is for all the visitor visa types INZ is processing. To see the timeframes for a
specific visa, search for a visa.
› Since 31 July 2022, INZ has received 107,910 international student visa applications. Visa processing times for international students can be
found on our website. 80% of applications for fee paying student visa are processed within 10 weeks. Processing times by education
provider can be found on our website.
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NEW RESOURCES
Here are some key recent Amendment Circulars and Visa Paks published by Immigration New Zealand. Please note that this is
not an exhaustive list - for a full list, please visit our Amendment Circular web page. Our Visa Paks web page is also available.

Amendment Circular 2024-09 contains amendments to immigration instructions to shift secondary school teachers to the
Tier 1 Green List (Straight to Residence Pathway) with effect on and after 1 May 2024.
→ Amendment Circular 2024-09

Amendment Circular 2024-08 contains amendments to immigration instructions to introduce a stand-down system for
employers who have committed certain offences under the Immigration Act 2009. These include immigration infringement
offences created by the Worker Protection (Migrant and Other Employees) Act 2023, which came into force on 6 January
2024.
→ Amendment Circular 2024-08

Amendment Circular 2024-07 contains changes made to add nine new ANZSCO occupations to the Green List and adjust
some existing occupations.
→ Amendment Circular 2024-07

Amendment Circular 2024-06 contains amendments to the AEWV and Transport Sector immigration instructions, as well as
clarification on the Care Workforce Work to Residence work experience wage threshold.
→ Amendment Circular 2024-06

Amendment Circular 2024-05 contains amendments to immigration instructions to update the LQEA contained in Appendix
17 of the INZ Operational Manual.
→ Amendment Circular 2024-05

Amendment Circular 2024-04 contains amendments to immigration instructions to establish the Ukraine Resident Visa
category for holders of a 2022 Special Ukraine Visa and close the 2022 Special Ukraine category to new Expressions of
Interest from offshore applicants.
→ Amendment Circular 2024-04

Visa Pak 572 contains information for immigration staff that outlines the new assessment providers for International
Qualified Nurses (IQNs) applying through the Nursing Council New Zealand.
→ Visa Pak issue 572 - Nursing Council providers for IQN theoretical and clinical exams

Visa Pak 568 contains advice on visa applicants becoming unlawful due to the expiry of their interim visa and circumstances
outside their control leading to application processing delays.
→ Visa Pak issue 568 - Mitigating the risk of visa applicants becoming unlawful

USEFUL LINKS

New links are added to the end of this section as they become available – see the end of this section for the latest links.

› Our accreditation process web page outlines the steps for hiring a migrant on an AEWV.

› Our Accredited Employer Work Visa resources web page contains helpful checklists, information packages, communication tools, and other
resources.
› Key resources include our Job Advertisement Guide and Applying for a Job Check checklist.
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› Our median wage comparison calculator helps to indicate what your employee’s hourly pay rate may be and how it compares to the New
Zealand median wage.

› Our YouTube channel contains recorded webinars including a playlist about AEWV that contains webinars about accreditation
requirements, requirements for franchisees and employers placing AEWV holders with controlling third parties, requirements for the Job
Check and work visa, and common themes INZ has been seeing with Job Check applications.
› Two webinars about the Active Investor Plus (AIP) webinar are available: Active Investor Plus visas information outline and Active Investor
Plus visa webinar.
› A recent webinar held about INZ’s enhanced Immigration Online system for immigration professionals is also available: Enhanced
Immigration Online webinar - for immigration professionals - YouTube

› Information about our online application systems can be found at our Immigration Online web page. The latest version of our
Enhancements to Immigration Online User Guide, which is updated regularly, can be found on our Enhancements to Immigration Online
web page.

› Information on processing times is available on our how long it takes to process a visa application web page.

› Learn about your visa status by visiting our check your visa application status web page.

› Find out about visa prioritisation by visiting our Employment Visa Escalation process web page.

› A new calendar of country-wide seasonal working opportunities for those with a Working Holiday Visa has been launched and can be
viewed here: Travelling with a working holiday visa

› Information on Skilled Migrant Category EOI selections is available on our website. The most recent information is: Skilled Migrant Category -
Fortnightly Selection Statistics - 19 April 2023 (immigration.govt.nz)

› Information on the Parent Resident Visa EOI selection process is available on our website, including a table of expected selection dates.

› Our Can I get a refund of my application fee? web page includes our Customer Refund Request Form.

› Use this form to sign up to receive INZ’s email updates.

› The new INZ News Centre is a place where we publish immigration announcements and/or changes, media releases, stories about some of
the people who work at INZ, and common topics. Common topics have information to help answer questions on visas and immigration
processes.

› SMC Resident Visa processing times have now been added to the Immigration New Zealand website. Processing times will be updated
monthly based on data from the previous month.

› A rolling SMC Resident Visa Q&A document containing questions and answers raised through industry bodies has been created and will be
updated when new batches of questions are available. Your industry body will distribute this document to you from time to time.

› You can now use our new tool to check on the INZ website if an employer is accredited.

› New online forms have been launched for visa transfers and Parent Resident Visa expressions of interest.

› A new online EOI form for the new SMC category has been launched. Check the criteria and evidence requirements before you apply.

› With the launch of the new SMC, INZ held a webinar for immigration professionals on skilled residence pathways in New Zealand. You can
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watch the webinar recording online.

› Our immigration scams page now includes information in other languages. You can use our Resource Library to find social media resources
on immigration scams.

› Our Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa application guide is a useful guide to help applicants plan and submit their SMC application on
time.

› Our webpage about the settlement information accredited employers must give workers on an AEWV now has an optional template we
have created that employers can use to provide this information.

› We have a new centralised process to request priority allocation for urgent applications. This includes a web tool to check if you can make an
escalation request.

› Our webpage about the NZeTA has now been updated with a decision tool that enables visitors to check their eligibility for an NZeTA.

› We have recently put together a new web page about AEWV post-accreditation checks. It has some useful tips on the kind of things we
might ask employers to show us, and definitions of some of our common terms (like ‘key people’ or ‘triangular employers’).

› Migrants who have been dismissed from their job while on a trial period can now apply for a Dismissed Worker Visitor Visa. Applicants must
have a current work visa and enough money to live on while they are in New Zealand.

› The Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa webpage has been updated to contain all the important details regarding the visa process on the
same page.

› We have created checklists for international students to use when preparing their student visa application. Applicants should use the
appropriate checklist to make sure they provide the right documents and evidence to support their student visa application.
› Student visa application checklist – first-time international students
› Student visa application checklist – continuing international students

› INZ recently held a webinar for immigration professionals on changes to how false, misleading or relevant withheld information are treated
in the visa application process. You can watch the webinar recording online.

› The beginning of the year is always a busy time for the processing of student visa applications, and two very common questions potential
students have are which qualifications are eligible for a Post Study Work Visa (PSWV) and whether their partners have work rights. We have
added information about which qualifications are eligible for a PSWV to our website, as well as information about whether students can
support their family while on a student visa.
› We have also updated our fact sheets on how to submit a decision ready student visa application with special instructions for
certain nationalities.
› We have provided an update that covers genuine intentions criteria specifically for student visas.

› INZ recently held a webinar for immigration professionals on student visas and post study work visas. The webinar recording will be emailed
out to invitees soon.

› Please refer to INZ’s acceptable forms list for a list of forms that are currently accepted by Immigration New Zealand offices. This list contains
the date of the current version of each form.

› Find out if you can support an employee to apply for their AEWV balance or resend an unused job token to another migrant by referring to
the INZ website.

› Find out how an AEWV applicant can meet the English language requirement for the AEWV if they have been offered a role at ANZSCO Level
4 or 5 by referring to the INZ website.
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› Our Active Investor Plus Visa webpage has now been updated and contains all the required information about this category.

› The form for employers to inform INZ that an AEWV holder has left their employment is now available on the INZ website.

› INZ hosted several webinars in April regarding AEWV changes and one about the Infringement Scheme. You can watch the recording for the
AEWV Changes Webinar for immigration professionals and the Infringement Scheme Webinar online.

› INZ also hosted a webinar in March about student visas You can watch the recording here.

› We have also relaunched the INZ Facebook page. Follow our page to keep up to date with news, information and announcements.

AEWV CHANGES Q&As

INZ regularly distributes a question and answer document about the AEWV changes to industry bodies for sharing with the
sector. Questions and answers are added to the document on a rolling basis as they become available. A new version of the
document is now available with some new questions being added on 01/05/2024. This document will be updated and
distributed on an ongoing basis.

SKILLED MIGRANT CATEGORY Q&As

INZ regularly distributes a question and answer document about the new SMC policy to industry bodies for sharing with the
sector. Questions and answers are added to the document on a rolling basis as they become available. The most recent
questions were added on 26/02/2024. This document will be updated and distributed on an ongoing basis, if/when more
questions are received.