romey

Hi I'm trying to get my head around the new rules that will be coming in from August 2017. Though I'm struggling and hoping someone with a better understanding of immigration rules can help. The biggy for me from what I read is that if I come on a essential skills visa then as per before my wife and kids could apply on the back of my visa for a student visas and my wife could also then get a visa to work in NZ. Now from what I'm reading they would now have to apply independently from me and would have to meet their own requirements is this correct?. As a UK residents would this still be the case for us?

escapedtonz

Yes you are correct that partners and children will be restricted and only be able to enter NZ as visitors or if they meet the criteria of a visa in their own right, BUT this will only affect the lower skilled Migrant workers families - I. E. The ones on lower salaries as depicted by the salary thresholds that will be implemented.
Immigration are trying to uphold the temporary nature of these visas and the workers in that they wouldn't meet the criteria for a permanent visa so it wouldn't be wise allowing them and their own family to all move here and set up home when they'll only be able to stay temporarily.
If you are higher skilled and on a salary over a particular threshold then you will still be considered able to transfer down the path of a permanent visa so in this case meeting that "higher level" criteria will also allow family to come along via the family stream.

romey

Thanks for the reply escapedtonz. Im aware the threshold is now going up to 48,859 dollars I'm above that but below the higher 73,299 dollars threshold. So does that mean the wife and kids can still apply on the back of my visa. Also looking at the NZ immigration website August is the start date so if I put my application in with the wife and kids, does this mean I would fall in with the old rules anyway as my application was submitted prior August 2017. From reading off the immigration website that's how it seems to read. Thanks

escapedtonz

Sorry, I haven't read anything in any more detail yet so unsure if the new rules will apply to all those under the 73 299 bracket ?
Yes, if you have the job offer, you need to get it in now while the old rules still apply as it all goes off the application date. You can apply for the other family visas at the same time.

romey

Thank u � ����

escapedtonz

I've now read all there is to read on the subject and there is no more detail than the content of the governments media release on the matter, which you can see here :-
https://beehive.govt.nz/release/chan...ge-immigration
It is only a proposal at this stage and submissions for review are welcomed by the 12th May when the subject will be discussed in depth and a decision made as to the actual changes for implementation in August 2017.
This is the link to the potential changes on the INZ site, which can also be found in the sticky thread at the top of this Immigration, Citizenship and Visas (NZ) area of the forum :-
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/abou...-work-settings

Best bet is to get the application in ASAP.

romey

Thanks for the advise. Much appreciated

wakwak

Just a thought... did they definitely say that the new rules will only apply to new applications after implementation date?
The last change applied to all apps whether they'd been in for months or were new....

escapedtonz

Nothing is definite at the moment. The changes are merely a proposal. Government will be meeting after the 12th May submission deadine for comments on the proposals. May as well wait till we know what the concrete changes are instead of worrying about what may or may not happen.

romey

Could someone clarify if this is correct. I'm applying for a essential skills visa so this can be done on line via the NZ immigration website. I have been told that my wife's dependant visa and children's domestic student visa will have to submitted via paper application to London office. Firstly is this correct as I thought you could do everything online?

MrsFychan

Seems a bit odd, who told you that?

romey

Immigration London but she didn't seem the brightest spark in the world hence why I wanted to clarify. I thought it was a bit odd as well

MrsFychan

have you tried submitting all them on line?

It may be what needs to happen when the new rules come in in August so best get it in quick.

romey

Just found it strange that I couldn't apply online for whole family apprantely that's the process. Just thought online would be quicker and was hoping someone on here had been through the process recently who could confirm this.

escapedtonz

Not really that odd or surprising.


Essential Skills visa is a Temporary Visa. It is only intended for, and approved for an individual. That same person cannot then apply for someone else's visa....something about Immigration Security blah blah blah! Partnership visa and dependent visa are also individual visas for other people..........granted, they are all the same family, hoping to travel together, but Immigration don't offer a blanket cover service to apply for temporary visas as a family.

The partner of the Essential Skills applicant, will have to apply for their own family stream partnership category Temporary Work visa via their own INZ login/online application if this is open to them OR via paper application and again, the dependent will also have to do the same (depending on age of course as there's an age limit to gain a login and apply, so if too young the dependents parent would have to apply on paper).