The Government has finally announced the Parent Boost Visa - a Visa that was promised as part of both National and Act’s campaign pledges and has taken a little longer than either party (or the hopeful applicants) might have liked, to finally roll out. The actual Visa doesn’t go live until 29 September, but the core components have been released, meaning we know how it will work and there will be plenty of people beginning to prepare their applications to apply later this year. We anticipate that demand for this Visa will be relatively high, given both the number of parents, waiting in the Parent Residence queue, as well as those who may not yet qualify for Residence, but want to join their children and grandchildren in New Zealand.

Whilst the official rules have not yet been let out in to the wild, there is enough information for us to work through what the key requirements are, as well as some of the challenges that potential applicants might face. In this week’s article we break down the new Visa, set out some of the key things for people to consider, and look at how the Parent Boost Visa, might all work in the real world. I will caveat this by saying that until the official rules are released, there may be some things we need to adjust or update, but hopefully this post gives people a pretty clear idea as to whether this Visa might work for them.

I am spending ten days in China (currently two days in), travelling first through Shanghai and then on to Shenzhen. It is my second time here, although the first trip was twenty or so years ago, and so this might as well be the first time. I am not going to pretend that spending 10 days in another country, gives me any authority as to why people might decide to leave (and head to NZ), although having lived in the United Kingdom and spending the better part of 12 years travelling for work, I do have some empathy and perhaps recognition for the thoughts that migrants might have as they contemplate a new life in a new country.

As a foreigner in a strange land, you do experience things very differently to a local and of course, there is the awe and wonder that comes with visiting somewhere that has more people in one city district that your entire country combined. Shanghai is one of those places, an enormous, sprawling metropolis filled with architecture (of varying flavours), sights to behold and of course people - so many people. I appreciate that China has plenty of variations and not all of it looks like Shanghai might, but this is a cutting-edge city, modern, clean and efficient. Sure the air isn’t so clear all the time and whilst its hot, you won’t burn in less time than it takes to boil an egg, as you might in New Zealand, but it really is quite a marvel.

Student Visas, or rather international students, are big business for New Zealand Inc. as we export our education services to the world. Given our location, the quality of some of our leading tertiary institutions and the enviable lifestyle we offer, studying in New Zealand is a very attractive option for people coming from a variety of countries. However, it is also a challenging market to sustain, as we compete against so many other locations for that incredibly valuable international student spending.

The United States has made headlines (again) lately, imposing restrictions on international students, and revoking certification from some top tier institutions, largely based on country specific agenda. Obviously there is opportunity in that for New Zealand and a host of other countries to pick up on that demand, bringing those displaced students here.

The coalition Government has a problem and its a fairly big one. Since the borders reopened, our net migration numbers have had more ups and downs than a US trade negotiation. When border restrictions were dropped in late 2022, and with the migrant labour taps having been turned off for two and half years, employers imported talent by the 747 load. Coupled with relaxed visa processing (the rules were the same, just the brakes were taken off), the intake of new kiwis was significant, albeit many of these arrivals actually had no clear pathway to residence.

Fast forward two and half years later, and with an economy fighting back after the covid financial stimulus sugar rush, more New Zealanders are leaving and we have fewer arrivals … arriving. Considering New Zealand has traditionally been a very popular destination for migrants (and arguably still is), something is clearly amiss.

The coalition Government has a problem and its a fairly big one. Since the borders reopened, our net migration numbers have had more ups and downs than a US trade negotiation. When border restrictions were dropped in late 2022, and with the migrant labour taps having been turned off for two and half years, employers imported talent by the 747 load. Coupled with relaxed visa processing (the rules were the same, just the brakes were taken off), the intake of new kiwis was significant, albeit many of these arrivals actually had no clear pathway to residence.

Fast forward two and half years later, and with an economy fighting back after the covid financial stimulus sugar rush, more New Zealanders are leaving and we have fewer arrivals … arriving. Considering New Zealand has traditionally been a very popular destination for migrants (and arguably still is), something is clearly amiss.

There are several parts of the visa process that create both a lot of questions and also a lot of confusion - and medical assessments (the way INZ assesses your health for a visa) is certainly one of them. It is confusing because there are various forms of assessment that take place and what is being considered or assessed will vary depending on the visa you are applying for. There are different assessments for temporary visas, as compared to residence and different again for partners (of NZ citizens or residents), than to anyone else. Some visas allow for medical waivers and some don’t and then there are all the thresholds to consider, in terms of cost, risk and burden to the NZ health system.

For the vast majority of applicants, who are medically fit and well, there will be no real cause for concern, however for anyone with a blip on the medical radar, the process can be very different. Applications can be delayed due to the assessment process, requests for more information and then securing follow up appointments (particularly with specialists).

So this week, in what might be a bit of a lengthy article, we are going to break this all down and demystify the medical process for New Zealand visas, explain how the different medicals are assessed, the process for a medical waiver and how to prepare for your medical, to avoid the potential lengthy delays that the medical assessment process can bring.

During the course of this week, I had the unfortunate opportunity to engage in some spirited Facebook debate over a proposed petition to reduce English language requirements for a specific group of Visa holders, looking to apply for Residence. The author of this post and it appears the individual behind the petition, was arguing that the existing English language testing standard was too high for Truck Drivers.

His argument, which appeared to be more about self-promotion than anything that came close to common sense, was that Truck Driver’s dont need to speak English as well as every other migrant, because…well because they drive Trucks. What he failed to appreciate is that our English language testing, particularly under the Skilled Migrant category is not just about your ability to do your job, through the use of English but also how well you can integrate in to society more generally. You might not need to use fluent English, when you are behind the wheel (although I would argue its still important), but when you are in urgent need of medical care, need to speak to your children’s teachers or require any other form of assistance, being able to converse in one of the key languages in your new home, is incredibly important.

You might be wondering how alpacas might fit in to any discussion the New Zealand immigration process, but trust me there is a connection, or rather the connection is to where you might find them - small town New Zealand. I have just come back from a few days away with my family in Waihi and as part of that trip, we stayed on an alpaca farm, hosted by some ex-Aucklanders who had escaped the chaos of big city life, for something a little more relaxing.

That trip got me to thinking about how underrated, life in our small centers can be, particularly if you are considering relocating here from distant shores. Most would-be migrants are attracted to our main cities (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch etc.) given the potential availability of work, however small town New Zealand has a lot going for it and for some migrants, might just be the escape they are looking for.

Predicting what might happen in the NZ immigration space, is a bit like predicting the weather…you hear the reports, you prepare for sunny weather and then you end up completely soaked. What appears to be on the horizon, in terms of a squall or a sunny day can rapidly change and what the forecasters (read those active social media speculators) might predict is coming your way, is usually not quite the same when it actually arrives.

I have previously written about some of the immigration changes that we expect to see in the next twelve months and thanks to having spent over two decades in this industry, I belong to a number of industry groups that have been consulting on some of the proposals the Minister is looking to roll out.

There is clearly a lot on the immigration policy agenda for this year, and we have already seen a fair few changes being rolled out (and its only April). So in this weeks article, we are taking a look at what else might be on the New Zealand immigration horizon.

This week, we are going to do something a little different and instead of a lengthy written piece on policy or process, I am going to introduce you to someone who has made the move, lived the experience and then come out the other side. For everyone, the process of moving from one country to another is unique and presents its very own set of challenges, however there are some common themes for most migrants.

In this weeks article, I sit down with Greg Bolek a nearly recent arrival from Canada. Greg and his family made the move, during one of the most unsettling periods on our immigration history (the Covid pandemic) and his relocation was far from simple, however he has made it through and successfully settled in NZ, establishing his own business.

Join me and Greg for an introduction to some of things that you should consider if you are also looking at making New Zealand your new home.

This week, we are going to do something a little different and instead of a lengthy written piece on policy or process, I am going to introduce you to someone who has made the move, lived the experience and then come out the other side. For everyone, the process of moving from one country to another is unique and presents its very own set of challenges, however there are some common themes for most migrants.

In this weeks article, I sit down with Greg Bolek a nearly recent arrival from Canada. Greg and his family made the move, during one of the most unsettling periods on our immigration history (the Covid pandemic) and his relocation was far from simple, however he has made it through and successfully settled in NZ, establishing his own business.

Join me and Greg for an introduction to some of things that you should consider if you are also looking at making New Zealand your new home.

Yesterday we had a Resident Visa approved for an applicant who is the partner to a New Zealand citizen…we do these all the time and in fact, if I had an area that I specialise in, it would probably be partnership-based applications. They are all unique, because relationships are unique and that’s probably why I enjoy them so much.

This particular application was similarly unique and had some challenges along the way, namely due to the age difference of the applicants (it shouldn’t be, but usually is a factor), the fact that when we started, the couple had never lived together and the usual challenges in securing the level of evidence that INZ tends to demand.

In our line of work, there is obviously nothing worse than having a Visa declined and thankfully, given the way we operate that doesn’t happen very often. Whilst we could claim some sort of ludicrously high success rate, the reality is, Visas are declined for various reasons. For us and on the very rare occasions that an application is rejected, it is almost always because the application carried a degree of risk that we would have prepared the applicant for or something surfaced during the process, that we were not made aware of.

The reason we are able to avoid applications being declined, is because we understand what each visa requires, and even if there are some challenges we can generally plan ahead for them. In the rare situations where we can’t predict the outcome, we let our clients know in advance and warn them before they make the decision to proceed. Having decades of experience helps you figure out what will work and what is potentially going to fail.

We talk a lot about planning and preparing in our business and that is because we believe those two things are the most important tools a migrant has in their toolkit. Having a clear and sensible plan, which covers your eligibility, the various visas you will need to apply for and then also takes account of any potential issues along the way, is your starting point. Within that plan you also need to build in some flexibility, because the rules can and do change, although usually for most skilled applicants those changes, don’t have a big impact.

Once the plan is in place and you know you can adapt where necessary, you need to commence the preparation phase and that involves understand both what to prepare and when. Most of this is very logistical, but also crucial, because having all of the documentation in place, as well as understanding what needs to be done during each step of the process ensure that there are far fewer surprises or delays along the way.

The visa process is complicated…if it wasn’t I would most likely be mowing lawns or putting up flat-pack furniture. The whole system has been created with rules, on top of rules on top of even more rules. In many ways, our current visa process is a little bit like flat-pack furniture - if you borrowed parts from one set to try and fix the holes in another.

However in amongst all of this complex policy and confusing criteria lies a really simple core requirement - how can we bring in the skills that New Zealand needs, whilst balancing demands on our vital infrastructure, attracting those that will benefit the country long term and remaining competitive as a migrant destination.

In yet another policy change (we are seeing quite a few of these coming through), primary school teachers have come out as the winners, being moved to Tier 1 of the Green List, meaning that instead of a two-year pathway to Residence, primary school teachers can now apply for Residence directly (called Straight to Residence).

This is quite a significant move and follows secondary school teachers who were also upgraded, some time ago. Teachers have always occupied a place on our various shortages lists, although to varying degrees, because the profession is a bit of a moving target in terms of “shortages”.

During the Covid period, we saw an enormous number of NZ Teachers return from overseas, so shortages slowed down, however with the influx of migrants in the post-Covid border opening, many of whom have relocated their family’s here, the number of teachers needed has increased at the same rate.

Change is constant - never a truer word has been said in terms of the New Zealand immigration process and this week has seen more changes announced, which will take effect in March (just a couple of weeks away). These updates were foreshadowed in previous announcements so don’t come as a significant surprise, but of course it is always interesting to see the details when they finally land.

So, this week we will be taking a look at the key changes being released, what they mean for applicants and how this might all develop in terms of some of our other immigration policies, particularly as it applies to Residence. Considering the bulk of these changes are in relation to Work Visa policy, which has a natural link to Residence, there are some clues to be extracted here.

Last Sunday, the Government rolled out plans for an update to our Active Investor Visa category, which has attracted a substantial amount of interest both from potential applicants but also the local press and other commentators. The changes are pretty significant, but in many ways are a bit of a “back to the future” moment.

The investor visa has always been an interesting category for the Government, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) and of course for applicants. It is, in my view, an absolutely necessary part of our visa ecosystem, but it does create a level of, sometimes heated, opinion amongst the local populace.

This week’s article is a bit of a walk back through the investor category and its history, what the recently announced changes will mean for future applicants and some of the things, potential investor applicants should consider if they are keen to move ahead with the process.

Unlike Santa who makes a list and checks it twice, our immigration equivalent (the Green List) is checked once in a blue moon and probably could do with being updated a little more often. The idea of the Green List, what it does, how it works and whether it is an accurate depiction of skills we need, are questions I have heard a lot recently.

So, this week, we take a closer look at what the Green List actually is, how it works in terms of both Temporary and Resident Visa options and some of the issues that the us of lists can create for applicants. If you fancy knowing whether you are on this list, we also have a Green List Checker, available on our website (but head over there a bit later on).

There are two things that have consumed my email inbox this week (asides from of course the work we do for clients), one of those was the roll out of New Zealand’s version of the Digital Nomad Visa and the other was bacon.

The bacon issue is an entirely different story, which you can ask me about one day, however this article is obviously not about smallgoods, but of course the rise of the digital nomads and what our recent announcement means for those that might be keen to try it.

We also take a look at how this small change might benefit those looking at a longer term plan (as a skilled migrant) and also what this move represents for the future of some of our other visa policies.