Sector agreements finalised

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The Government has finalised a number of sector agreements for the care, construction, meat processing, seafood, and seasonal snow and adventure tourism industries. The sector agreements have been put in place to enable sectors which have traditionally relied on lower-paid migrants time to improve wages, train New Zealanders and make business improvements.

The agreements are relevant to migrants applying for Accredited Employer work visas and provide exemptions to the median wage threshold. The agreements will come into effect in October 2022.

Some interesting points to note about the sector agreements:

  • For the roles covered by the care workforce agreement, workers must be paid $26.16/hour. Those workers will be issued a two-year work visa and will then face a 12-month stand-down period.
  • There will be a pathway to residence for care workers who get paid at the level 4 industry rate.
  • For the roles covered by the construction and infrastructure agreement, workers must be paid $25/hour. Those workers will be issued a two-year work visa and will then face a 12-month stand-down period.
  • The roles in the construction and infrastructure industry which are exempt from the median wage threshold have expanded. Some of the roles which are now exempt include bricklayers, builder’s labourer, carpenter, roof tiler and plumber’s assistant.
  • A Pacific Programme will be introduced in 2024 for the meat processing and seafood processing industries.

If you would like to know more, read the Sector Agreements Factsheet. If you have any questions about the sector agreements, contact us today.

** NEW ** Active Investor Plus residence category

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The new Active Investor Plus residence category will open on 19 September 2022. The category replaces two existing investor categories and is designed to encourage direct investment in New Zealand. Applicants will require a minimum of NZ$5 million investment, if it is a direct investment. Investments in bonds and property will no longer be accepted. The new category will include an English language requirement of IELTS 5.0. You can read more on the Immigration New Zealand website.

 

 

** NEW RESIDENCE CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED **

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Immigration New Zealand has released the details of three new residence categories.

  1. Straight to residence – Green List Tier 1
  2. Work to residence – Green List Tier 2
  3. Work to residence – Highly paid

Under all three categories, you must:

  • Have a job offer from, or be employed by, an accredited employer
  • Be 55 years old or younger
  • Meet English language requirements
  • Meet health and character requirements

In the table below, we have summarised the key requirements of each category.

Occupation requirement Employment terms and conditions Qualifications and experience Minimum period of employment in New Zealand

 
Straight to residence – Green List Tier 1 Must be a Green List Tier 1 occupation. Green List Tier 1 occupations include Mechanical Engineer, General Practitioner (GP) and ICT Security Specialist

 

 Must be genuine, full time and permanent or for at least 12 months. In some instances, independent contractors may be eligible You must meet the qualification, experience, registration and/or salary requirements specified in the Green List None
Work to residence – Green List Tier 2 Must be a Green List Tier 2 occupation. Green List Tier 2 occupations include Midwife, Secondary School Teacher, Plumber and Dairy Cattle Farmer

 

 Must be genuine, full time and permanent or for at least 12 months You must meet the qualification, experience and registration requirements specified in the Green List You must have worked in a Green List Tier 2 occupation in New Zealand for two years. You can count employment that meets the requirements from 29 September 2021

 
Work to residence – Highly paid None Must be paid twice the median wage, currently $55.52/hour. Must be genuine, full time and permanent or for at least 12 months None You must have worked in a highly paid role in New Zealand for two years. You can count employment that meets the requirements from 29 September 2021

 

 

Applications under the “Straight to residence” category will open on 5 September 2022. Applications under the work to residence categories will open in September 2023.