The Government says it will look at a “quirk” in immigration policy that means some workers have to leave the country and fly back in to be eligible for next year’s one-off residence visa. Some overseas medical staff in hospitals and aged-care facilities are among those whose visa type exclude them being one of next […]

People who missed out on one of the 165,000 residence visas are cursing their bad luck at not being on the right visa on the right day. Among those also feeling aggrieved are those still working for New Zealand companies from overseas – and with valid visas – but who are excluded from the immigration […]

New Zealand will welcome five times its usual number of new residents by the end of next year in what the government describes as the “biggest immigration decision in living memory”. Immigration Minister Kris Faafio said he wanted 165,000 migrants and their families to make New Zealand their home, a move welcomed by the business, […]

Visa processing at what used to be New Zealand’s largest immigration centre has closed. Before the pandemic, the Beijing office decided half of all temporary visas – about 10,000 a week. Withdrawing visa processing from China ends a long programme of overseas office closures, including in India, South Africa and the Philippines in March. The […]

Immigration is becoming a serious concern for many. Last month, Immigration New Zealand cancelled 50,000 temporary visa applications, including overseas partners of New Zealanders. INZ has also ceased processing any applications for anyone overseas, with a few exceptions. According to Licensed Immigration Adviser Ankur Sabharwal, There are around 5000 post-study work visa (PSWV) holders have […]

According to an Afghan interpreter who worked for the New Zealand Defence Force more than 500 people in Afghanistan eligible to come to New Zealand have been left to their own fate after a bombing at Kabul Airport put an end to further New Zealand Defence Force evacuation flights. Today marks the last day of […]

Emergency benefits for migrants are being axed from today – and advocates say the timing could not be worse. The Ministry of Social Development has been providing benefits to migrants since it took over from a Red Cross support scheme last year. Advice on the Ministry of Social Development website says those still needing support […]

New Zealand citizens and residents say the government’s solution to reuniting them with their overseas partners has led to unexpected, unfair and dangerous consequences. Some are crying foul over a two-tier system allowing border exemptions to partners from richer visa-waiver countries. Those left out of the exemptions say they are resorting to flying into Covid-19 […]

An organisation supporting workers from the Pacific Islands wants employers to ensure staff are well looked after as the seasonal worker scheme starts up again. The government will bring in 2000 Recognised Seasonal Employer, or RSE, workers into the country to help with harvests. Growers must pay isolation facility costs for each worker and also […]

One week since managed isolation bookings became mandatory to enter the country, capacity for the country’s border hotels is at a pinch point, with most returnees facing at least seven-week waits. Crop growers around the country breathed a sigh of relief in September when the government granted more than 200 critical worker visas to machinery […]