Employing migrant workers — what is changing

Sunday, 29 November 2020

When the changes take effect

The changes are happening in stages and will be completed in 2021. There is nothing you need to do now to change the way you hire migrants unless you are a Talent Accredited Employer.
From 7 October 2019, there were changes for Talent Accredited Employers, including to the salary you must offer your employees before they can apply for a Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa.
Changes to the Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa

NOTE
The Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa and its requirements are not affected by these changes.

Changes in 2020

On 27 July 2020, the current system of assessing jobs based on skill-bands changed. We now assess jobs based on whether they are paid at or above, or below the median New Zealand wage, instead of using a combination of the ANZSCO classification and pay to determine skill bands.

Changes in 2021

From 2021, the way you employ temporary migrant workers will change.
We are:

Introducing a new visa which replaces 6 current visas;

Bringing in accreditation for all employers hiring migrant workers on the new visa;

Removing 2 existing employer schemes, and;

Tailoring visa policies to recognise 3 distinct labour market situations across New Zealand.

Source: Immigration.govt.nz – The official website of the Immigration New Zealand