The Government has announced changes to the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa which include:
- a new points system
- skilled job or job offer requirements
- the number of applications that will be accepted and processing times, and
- a Skilled Migrant Category Interim Visa.
From 9th October 2023, a new points system will be introduced, which can provide a faster route to residence for individuals in ‘high-skilled’ roles. It will also offer a clear pathway to residency for those who work in New Zealand for a specified period. The revamped SMC aligns with the Green List and Sector Agreement residence pathways, offering diverse residence options based on job, qualification, or wage.
Gaining the required points will unfortunately be very challenging for many hospitality roles due to the high threshold required to claim points in the new system, particularly around the qualification recognition and wage requirements.
Points will only be gained for qualifications of a bachelors degree or above, which leaves the income as the main points mechanism for hospitality workers (unless they have a degree or higher in another field). However, a person would need to be paid 3 times the median wage, or above, to be able to claim 6 points in the income category.
In reality this means even the highest paid chefs (or other hospitality workers) will struggle to achieve the required points threshhold.
An outline of the points that can be claimed for each of the threecatcgories can be found here.
New points system
From 9 October 2023, 6 points will be required to apply for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa.
3 to 6 points can be claimed based on:
- New Zealand occupational registration
- qualification (Bachelor’s degree or higher), or
- income from your job or job offer (earning at least 1.5 times the median wage in New Zealand).
Points can only be claimed from 1 of the above skill indicators and cannot be combined from multiple skill indicators. For example someone cannot combine points from their qualification with points from their New Zealand occupational registration.
People can also claim 1 point for each year of skilled work in New Zealand, up to a maximum of 3 points.
The points claimed from skilled work in New Zealand can be combined with points from a person’s New Zealand occupational registration, qualification or income.
The age limit, English language proficiency, health, and character requirements for residence applications remain unchanged.
Update to Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)
The government is also introducing a maximum continuous stay of 5 years on an AEWV, for anyone who is unable to demonstrate that they are on a pathway to residence. People will need to spend 12 months outside of NZ to be eligible to apply for a further AEWV.
From November 2023, the maximum duration of an AEWV will be extended from 3 years to 5 years to align with the introduction of the 5-year maximum continuous stay for AEWV holders.