FRENZ attended an exclusive session on 15 August with the Hon. Erica Stanford, Minister of Immigration, where she shed some light on the government’s thoughts for NZ’s immigration (re)settings.
A key takeaway from the minister was her acknowledgment that the current Green List and Skilled Migrant Category 6 (SMC6) resident visas (RVs) are not fit for purpose – specifically agreeing that these categories do not account for the many skilled trades workers in NZ whose occupation doesn’t require registration and which currently excludes them from being able to apply for RV.
The SMC6 visa currently caters to individuals:
- with Bachelor degrees or higher (Skilled Level 4+); or,
- earning 1.5 times the median wage; or,
- in jobs requiring occupational registration from a national body
Fortunately, Ms Stanford did advise at the session that early next year, it is in INZ’s work plan to address this imbalance.
While the specifics and timeline are still TBD, potential changes could include:
- recognising trade certifications, such as Level 4 apprenticeships, or
- bringing back consideration of offshore experience, so that years of skilled work might be valued and acknowledged.
While we do not have more details around this yet, we are consciously optimistic that the govt will create residence options for our candidates and in country talent who want to make New Zealand their home.
