The Minister of Immigration, Kris Faafoi, has announced the 2021 Resident Visa, a one-off, simplified pathway to residence for around 165,000 migrants currently in New Zealand.
It will also allow employers to retain settled, skilled and scarce migrant workers, reflecting their critical part in New Zealand’s economy, and recognises the immense contribution migrants have made to New Zealand during COVID-19.
It will be available to those who have already submitted a resident visa applications under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) and Residence from Work (RfW) category and those who have submitted an SMC Expression of Interest, as well as many other work visa holders who may not have been eligible through the current skilled residence pathways.
Eligibility
To be eligible you must:
- have been in New Zealand on 29 September 2021, and
- be on an eligible visa or have applied for an eligible visa on or before 29 September 2021 that is later granted.
You must also meet one of the three criteria:
- have lived in New Zealand for three or more years, or
- earn at or above the median wage ($27 per hour), or
- work in a role on a scarce list.
If you meet the criteria for eligibility but are in Australia and have been unable to return to New Zealand by 29 September 2021, you may be considered eligible.
Application process
The 2021 Resident visa will be open for applications in two phases, with the first group of people able to apply from 1 December 2021.
From 1 December 2021 you can apply if:
- you have already applied for residence under the Skilled Migrant and Residence from Work categories before 29 September 2021, or
- you have submitted a Skilled Migrant Category Expression of Interest, and have included your dependent child in the Expression of Interest aged 17 years or older on 29 September 2021.
From 1 March 2022 all other eligible applicants can apply, including all others who have submitted a Skilled Migrant Category Expression of Interest.
All applications must be made by 31 July 2022.