4 July 2022 – The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)
The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is being introduced on 4 July 2022.The visa will be available mainly to workers earning over the median wage. From 4 July the median wage will be $27.76 per hour.The Essential Skills Work Visa will close to applications on 3 July 2022.From December 2022, most partners of temporary migrant workers will need to qualify for their own AEWV or Visitor Visa.In 2023, we will require all employers to be accredited to employ any migrant, including those with open work rights (such as working holidaymakers or students).
A new Green List of occupations will make it easier for employers to hire and attract migrants for specified high-skilled, hard-to-fill occupations, including in the construction, engineering, trades, health, and ICT sectors.
Transition arrangements will allow for certain roles within construction, care, tourism and hospitality sectors to be recruited at rates slightly lower than median wage.
1 August 2022
Borders fully reopen
Student Visa changes
Suspension of Visitor and Student Visas lifted
Post-study work visa settings and the funds needed for student visa applicants to support their stay in New Zealand are being increased
For, students undertaking a qualification at Level 7 and below (excluding bachelor’s degrees), they will only be eligible for post-study work rights if the qualification is relevant to an occupation on the Green List. This includes Graduate Diplomas and Diplomas at level 7.
eligible for post-study work rights if they are studying a bachelor’s degree, bachelor honours degree, postgraduate diploma, master’s or doctoral degree that they have studied full time in New Zealand for a minimum of 30 weeks.
The post-study work visa duration will now mirror the time they study in New Zealand, up to a maximum of three years. This change will not apply to Master’s and PhD students, who will continue to receive three years’ post-study work rights, as long as they have spent 30 weeks in New Zealand undertaking full-time study.
International students will no longer be able to apply for a second post-study work visa
From 31 July 2022, fund requirements will increase:
• From $15,000 to $20,000 per annum for prospective tertiary student visa applicants and to $17,000 for prospective international school students. These amounts will be prorated for shorter lengths of study.
December 2022
Most partners of temporary migrant workers will need to qualify for an Accredited Employer Work Visa in their own right, instead of automatically getting an open work visa Partners of applicants on the Green list and those earning twice the median wage will still qualify for an open-ended work visa.
From 2023 a new requirement will come into effect requiring employers to be accredited to employ any migrant.