New Zealand is making changes in the immigration rules for skilled migrants. The Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa is for people who have the skills New Zealand needs for economic growth. Skilled Migrant Category allows foreigners to live, work and study in New Zealand. It includes their partner and dependent children.

These changes will see a simplified points system coming into effect that sets a clear skills threshold for residents and offers several ways for people to demonstrate their skill level. Under the new system, applicants will need six points to be granted residence.

Over the last month, New Zealand has been confirming further policy products and settings that will be impacted once the new Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa comes into effect. Now, it is a week to go before Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa applications open.

New Rules for New Zealand Immigration

Come October 9, applicants who wish to apply for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa will need to meet one of the following:

Occupational registration (where an occupation has a regulated registration, licensing, or certification scheme in NZ and full registration requires at least 2 years of formal training or experience)

A Bachelor’s degree or higher level qualification, or

A skilled job earning at least 1.5 x median wage in New Zealand

If applicants do not gain enough points through one of these skill pathways, they will need to gain additional points through having skilled work experience in New Zealand.

All applicants will need a skilled job offer in New Zealand, and most applicants will be required to spend time working in New Zealand before becoming eligible for residence.

Under the new settings, there will be no cap on the number of people who can gain residence if they meet the skills threshold. This, along with simpler settings, means applicants can expect faster decision times (where complete information is provided to Immigration New Zealand).

Employers can continue to bring skilled workers to New Zealand on a temporary work visa, such as the Accredited Employer Work Visa, or employ migrants on other work visas such as the Working Holiday Visa, even if they do not meet the residence criteria.

In addition to the above changes, New Zealand government has also recently confirmed further changes to other policy settings that are impacted with the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa opening on 9 October 2023.

A new interim visa for Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa resident visa applications will be implemented on 9 October 2023. This is an additional offering to visa holders on the path to residence, removing the requirement for Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa applicants to renew their temporary visa while they are awaiting the outcome of their application. These changes also apply to dependents and partners of Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa applicants.

Applicants who transfer onto a Skilled Migrant Category Interim Visa will also receive multiple entry travel conditions, allowing them to leave New Zealand and return on the same interim visa while it is valid.

There will also be a pathway to allow Skilled Migrant Category Interim Visa holders to vary some conditions of their interim visa conditions. These changes have been made to provide more certainty for applicants and will allow them to vary the conditions of their interim visa if their circumstances change.

Eligibility for Skilled Migrant Category Interim Visa variation of conditions (VOCs) will be based on the conditions of the interim visa held and the situation of the applicants. This means that not all people with the same interim visa conditions will have the same VOC pathway. The cost to vary the conditions of a visa is $210.