New Zealand continues to assist visa holders to lawfully remain in the country
The new Zealand Government has again made short term changes to visa settings that will assist two more groups of migrants already in New Zealand to lawfully remain in the country.
The changes will impact two groups, family of employer-assisted work visa holders and Recognised Seasonal Employer Worker visa holders.
Employer-assisted work visa extension aligned for partners and dependants
For those whose visa would have expired between 17 august to 31 December 2020, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will apply the same expiry date extension of employer-assisted work visas made in July 2020 to the partners and dependants of the principal visa holder if their visa would have expired from 17 August to 31 December 2020. Visa holders or their advisors will receive an email from Immigration New Zealand confirming the visa extension by Tuesday 25 August.
Find out more about the initial extension announcement from INZ here.
The extension only applies if the visa holder was in New Zealand on 10 July 2020 and their visa was due to expire by 31 December.
The extension does not apply if you have a new visa application and been granted an interim visa. If you have made a new application it may be withdrawn and you can request a refund. Refunds are considered on a case-by-case basis.
You can read more details about the latest announcement on the INZ website.
Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Worker visa extension
INZ will extend RSE scheme visas by six months for those expiring from 18 August to 31 December 2020. This will not only allow workers to lawfully in New Zealand but to continue to work. This announcement also gives employers more certainty about worker availability for the coming season. It is estimated that approximately 8,000 RSE workers in New Zealand will be effected by this.
Similarly, the extension only applies to RSE workers currently in New Zealand. from 10 July 2020.
