The Government have announced they will extend Working Holiday visas and Supplementary Seasonal Employment (SSE) work visas for six months.
More than 8,500 people on Working Holiday visas and SSE work visas due to expire between 21 December 2021 and 30 June 2022 will benefit from the six month extension.
They will also continue to have open work rights, allowing them to work in any sector to help meet labour market demands where they exist.
“It will allow employers across a range of industries to make use of the onshore workforce while our border restrictions are in place, but it’s important to remember that these extensions are only temporary measures.
However, Minister Faafoi said “We remain committed to our long-term vision for New Zealand’s immigration system, which involves sectors moving away from a reliance on low-paid and low-skilled migrant workers and transitioning to new ways of attracting, training and upskilling Kiwis into jobs and investing in productivity measures that will support New Zealand’s COVID-19 recovery.
These visa extensions complement other changes the Government has made to help employers , such as the recently announced 2021 Resident visa which will provide a one-off pathway to residence for an estimated 165,000 migrants and their families.
Immigration New Zealand will contact all visa holders eligible for the Working Holiday or SSE visa extension by the end of November.