Immigration minister Michael Wood on Wednesday (12 October) announced that the parent and skilled migrant residence visas would restart next month.
According to the announcement, the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) visa would reopen under current settings while consultation was underway and a new system was being set up.
The first selection will take place on 9 November for migrants with 160 points, with the points requirement then rising to 180. It may be noted that under the new system for the skills category starting next year, applicants must reach a threshold of six points from a mix of training and experience in their field, qualifications, and income.
They would also be required to have a job or job offer in NZ paying at least the median wage, or 1.5 times the median wage for higher-skilled occupations.
According to the Minister, the new system would, in the long term, make eligibility clearer, allow NZ to retain the talent brought in via the new Accredited Employer Work Visa, and complement the Green List and Highly Paid Residence pathways announced as part of the "immigration rebalance" in May.
Moving to the changes in the parents' residence visa category, the visas would reopen from 14 November for people who already have expressions of interest in the queue.
A ballot for new expressions of interest will begin from October 12, with the first selection taking place in August 2023.
The number of these visas granted yearly would increase from 1000 to 2500, with a lower income threshold of 1.5x the median wage for one sponsor supporting one parent and 2x the median salary for joint sponsors.
This is lower than the previous threshold of 2x the median wage for a single sponsor or 3x the median wage for joint sponsors.
Siblings would also be able to co-sponsor applications, and joint applications would be able to apply for up to six parents, with the income threshold increasing by 0.5x the median wage per parent.
The much-awaited news has met with mixed reactions from immigration experts.
Indian Weekender spoke to immigration experts to know what they have to say about the changes and how that would impact the Kiwi-Indian community.
Pawandeep Singh, Director, Kiwiana Immigration
“The announcements made by INZ minister Michael Wood towards the SMC and Parent category are good news for many stuck in queues during Covid 19 and border closures.
“Under the SMC Category, INZ is resuming the EOIs under the current settings from 9 November, the selection will be at 160 points to attract more workers, but the threshold will increase to 180- points later from 18 January 2023.
“It's good news for many who couldn't qualify for the 2021 Resident visa and now have hopes to secure the resident visa under the SMC category.
“The changes in the parent resident category are indeed music to the ears of all the residents and citizens who wanted their parents to join them in NZ. The Minister said that restarting the selection from existing EOIS is their priority, ensuring a solid hope for the migrant families.”
Arran Hunt, Partner at Stace Hammond
“It is excellent to see SMC finally back and one draw at the current settings before a move to 180 points. However, I do have concerns as to the processing of those applications. INZ is still low on staff in practically every area, so we'll need to see those SMC staff taken from elsewhere. There is little value in a visa if they take years to process.
“Similarly, with the parent category, with 9k in queue and 2k a year to cover that queue, that is a long time to get those processed. If that parent is in NZ, they will likely become unlawful without some way to remain in NZ lawfully. No temporary visas will allow a parent to stay in NZ for that period while the backlog is processed.
“So, great announcements but many questions about how they will work. No point in announcing a visa that isn't granted any time soon.”
Saif Shaikh, Director, Immigration Advice NZ
“The opening of the Parent Category is such welcome news for the migrant community. It is further confirmed that parents can be sponsored "jointly" by an NZ Resident/Citizen with their NZ Resident/Citizen Partner or an NZ Resident/Citizen sibling. This will significantly relieve many migrants that meet the above requirements. The income threshold for NZ Sponsors under the new announcement has been lowered considerably:
- A single NZ resident/citizen can sponsor one parent with a gross annual income of $86,611.20.
- Joint Sponsors can sponsor one parent with a gross yearly income of $115,481.60.
- Joint Sponsors can sponsor two parents with a gross yearly income of $144,352.
“The first EOI under SMC selection will take place on 9 November, with 160 points. For applicants that can claim 160, it is highly recommended to have their qualifications assessed if needed and obtain English language proficiency test results or hold results for less than 24 months. This will be the last EOI draw for applicants to apply with 160 points.”
Simon Laurent, Principal, Laurent Law
“The reopening of the SMC Residence category for the selection of Expressions of Interest in November is long overdue. The long passage of time since EOI selection was shut more than two years ago raises several concerns. The first is that a large number of EOIs have been collected during the interim. If all the historical ones are selected at once, this will blow out the workload of visa staff who are already failing to meet timeliness metrics in various other visa categories. Staff will be redeployed from elsewhere, further slowing processing in those areas.
“Secondly, I foresee long delays in INZ issuing Invitations to Apply for Residence to many potential applicants. The promise that their EOIs will finally be considered will turn to frustration as they are left waiting in a queue yet again. Once all those Residence applications are filed, another bottleneck will form while they are processed, as the policy is work-intensive for staff to make decisions.
“Thirdly, many visa officers will be unfamiliar with or will need to refresh themselves on the Skilled Migrant policy. We will likely see the rules misapplied or applied unfairly because of workload pressures. No reason has been given for increasing the points threshold. It appears to be part of the recent drive to squeeze out all those who are not deemed to have a sufficiently high-powered profile despite glaring shortages in essential industries such as tourism, aged care and agriculture.”