Immigration package unveiled

Measures to further support New Zealand businesses through the global labour shortage and attract more high-skilled workers in the long term have been announced.

Michael Wood, Minister for Immigration, says the government has taken a range of measures to support businesses to recruit internationally in order to fill shortages since the country’s borders reopened.

More action is now being planned. Among them is skilled motor mechanics being added to roles on the green list’s work-to-residence tier from March next year – a decision that has been welcomed by the Motor Trade Association.

Previous government measures have included approving more than 94,000 job positions for international recruitment, granting some 40,000 working-holiday visas, reopening the Pacific access category and Samoa quota, delivering the biggest increase in a decade to the recognised seasonal-employer scheme and resuming the skilled migrant and parent categories.

“New Zealand’s strong economic position during a time of global downturn presents a unique opportunity to attract more high-skilled migrant workers to our shores as we prepare for a challenging year ahead,” says Wood, pictured.

“We understand labour shortages are the biggest issue facing businesses and are contributing to cost-of-living pressures too. These measures are about addressing those shortages and providing greater certainty to businesses.

“As part of our signalled review, we are expanding the green list’s settings to include more professions in healthcare, education and construction.

“While some commentators are suggesting our labour market is starting to lose some of its heat, we’re continuing to pull out all the stops to position ourselves ahead of the pack.”

For example, from December 15 registered nurses and midwives will have an immediate pathway to residence, including those already in New Zealand.

Wood adds: “Since the pandemic, 3,474 nurses have arrived, but it’s clear we need to do more to encourage nurses to choose New Zealand. Adding these roles will further build on the attractiveness of New Zealand to those looking to set themselves and their families up long term. 

“From March, the work-to-residence pathway will be further expanded to include all teachers, and will add in additional roles such as drain layers, motor mechanics skilled civil-machine operators. 

“All applicants will be able to count time on a work visa from September 29, 2021, towards their work-to-residence requirement.

“Our sector agreements are in place across the construction, seafood, aged care, meat processing, and seasonal snow and adventure tourism sectors. We’ve now agreed to extend the scheme to bus and truck drivers with a time-limited, two-year residence pathway.”

Additional measures include automatically extending employer accreditation by 12 months if first accreditation is applied for by July 4, 2023. Others are:

• Introducing a streamlined “specific purpose” work visa to help keep about 2,500 long-term critical workers already in the country to continue working in their current roles for up to three years.

• Providing a 12-month “open work” visa for around 1,800 previous holders of post-study work visas to those who missed out because of 2020/21’s border closure during the pandemic.

“By listening to the concerns of these sectors and working with them to take practicable steps to unlock additional labour, we know these measures will help fill skills gaps as businesses work towards more productive and resilient ways of operating,” says Wood.

“The green list has been under constant review and will be next reviewed in mid-2023. We’ve said we have been prepared to make changes when the evidence supports the need. We will continue to monitor our settings to ensure they remain fit for purpose.

“Our immigration rebalance was designed to make it easier for employers to get the highly skilled workers they need – simplifying the settings and streamlining application processes for businesses, while reducing previous reliance on lower-skilled migrant workers to help improve productivity, wages and working conditions for everyone.

“Overall, with the suite of measures announced, alongside the likes of the skilled-migrant category and accredited employer work visa, I’m confident Aotearoa the settings it needs to access skilled labour, support migrants and help us through the challenging year ahead.”

Employer accreditation

Employer accreditations will automatically be extended by 12 months if their first accreditation is applied for by July 4, 2023.

Most accredited employers that move onto a 24-month accreditation cycle after their initial first 12-month accreditation will effectively receive a 24-month first accreditation.

This one-off extension “will provide employers with certainty as we head into 2023 that they will continue to have access to skilled labour without the additional cost and administrative burden of reapplying for accreditation”.

Behind the wheel

Bus and truck drivers will have a time-limited residence pathway through a sector agreement. The cabinet has agreed in principle to develop a sector agreement to support workforce needs. Officials will now consult with transport sector representatives in the development of the agreement.