12-month Partner Work Visa - Wage Subsidy for Sole Traders?

Hi all,

I am looking for people who are in a similar situation or know someone who is:

Situation:

• I am on a 12-month partner work visa - valid from July 17th 2019 to July 17th 2020 having started to work in NZ as a sole trader in August 2019.
  
• Now, I basically lost 80% of my business overnight as my work is based on face to face interactions with people.
  
• I applied for wage subsidy for sole traders who lost 30% of their business on Monday 23rd together with a lot of fellow colleagues of mine who are in the same boat.
  
• All of them have already received their wage subsidy, some after two days. None of them is on a partner work visa though, they are kiwis or residents.

Questions:

Are you on the same visa and have applied for subsidy? What is your experience? Have you received help? Have you been declined? Was there a problem and you have been rung up on the phone?

Could it be that my application just did not go through? We don´t receive confirmation emails as far as I understand and they had tech difficulties as well. Should I just re-apply?

Note:

Please don´t suggest calling them - I have rang all their numbers since Monday several times a day, there is no way of getting through. :) I also cannot log in or register on the website. Not sure if it kicks me out because it is overloaded, but it always returns to the main site.


Thank you and please stay healthy and safe!

Hi there,

I’m on a 3 year partner of a worker work visa and have been registered as a sole trader since May 2018.

I have applied for the wage subsidy last Tuesday (24th) in the morning and have received it on Saturday (28th). I didn’t get any phone calls asking for more information but was advised via email and text that the wage subsidy has been paid out.

However, I don’t know whether there is a difference between a one and three year partner work visa.

Hope this helps.
Good luck 🍀

I am hearing reports of huge variations in the time it's taking MSD to pay the wage subsidies out, and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to why it's taking so long for some and very quickly for others. I have heard of sole traders getting paid the subsidy within 36 hours, while other sole traders are still waiting a week later. I'm sorry I can't offer any reassurance - this is an unprecedented situation and there is no way to know what is 'normal' in this case.

I am self-employed and operate a limited company (so a bit different to a sole trader) and it's been 3 days since I applied for the subsidy with nothing so far. I think it's a case of 'hurry up and wait' sorry....

Thank you guys, it´s already good to just hear what other people experience.

Still no update here. Crossing fingers and waiting. I might re-apply if nothing happens.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aramis

Thank you guys, it´s already good to just hear what other people experience.

Still no update here. Crossing fingers and waiting. I might re-apply if nothing happens.

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I heard on the radio today that they are discouraging people from applying a second time if they have already made an application, as this is just going to double the amount of work MSD have to do. They are working through 370,000 applications so this is going to take some time.....

Update: 16 days after application I received a call from WINZ. It was not the friendliest one, stating that my data with IR were not correct and that I was listed as employed and not as a sole trader. Afterwards I called IR to check, but they said everything is fine! They put a note on my account though and then one later the payment went through. :)

Good news in the end, then.:nice1