Summary of the changes announced by INZ so far

[EGoodhue]

Erin sorry I got one more question. You know how you said straight forward case right
So in my case, I am going to file in essential skill visa based on liquor manager/ buyer role with trade me advertisement and job is in small town at a foodstuffs supermarket. I can’t provide skill match report though as work and income told me that they believe this job is mid skilled based on ANZSCO guidelines.
So based on that is it still straight forward case according to you?

Mmmmm....probably not, sorry. A straightforward case would be where there is no potential for disagreement about an ANZSCO code or skill level, there has been advertising on a common medium (Trade Me, Seek, local paper) for at least 2 weeks and the employer has made a strong case as to why no New Zealanders either applied for the role or were interviewed but the specific reasons they were not suitable.

[Raman2121]

Sorry what does it mean by common medium? My employer has advertised the job on trade me already, is that what u mean?
I have 3 year experience of working under same supermarket, managerial job, understand the system and how things work in the store, have got qualifications. So my employer can basically provide a strong argument but could u please give me a rough idea about what sort of argument he shall make?
He told me he doesn’t want to hire someone unless they have worked at similar role under similar supermarket I.e. foodstuffs and understand SAP ( ordering system) and he want them experienced for atleast 2 years. Isn’t this a good reason?
And he said he doesn’t want to hire people from other industries and train them bcoz they have lost jobs for example in hospitality or construction etc and once the economy picks up they may go back so all the effort he puts in will be in vain

[genegeney]

There's a team that "triage" the Essential Skills work visa applications as they are lodged online - they check the details of the application and if it is deemed "low touch" (that is, straightforward and all the documents that are needed for an immigration officer to make a decision are present and accurate) then it will be allocated to an immigration officer very quickly (this timeframe varies - in the past, it's been within a day or two from lodgement, but I think at the moment it's safe to bet on it being at least 2-3 weeks).

Hi Erin,

Do the other work visas, such as my Talent application, follow the same process?

Cheers!

[EGoodhue]

Sorry what does it mean by common medium? My employer has advertised the job on trade me already, is that what u mean?
I have 3 year experience of working under same supermarket, managerial job, understand the system and how things work in the store, have got qualifications. So my employer can basically provide a strong argument but could u please give me a rough idea about what sort of argument he shall make?
He told me he doesn’t want to hire someone unless they have worked at similar role under similar supermarket I.e. foodstuffs and understand SAP ( ordering system) and he want them experienced for atleast 2 years. Isn’t this a good reason?
And he said he doesn’t want to hire people from other industries and train them bcoz they have lost jobs for example in hospitality or construction etc and once the economy picks up they may go back so all the effort he puts in will be in vain

Sorry, by "common medium" I mean somewhere that NZer's usually check for jobs - like Trade Me or Seek. Uncommon websites tend to raise concerns with INZ.
It's definitely worth a try for your employer to make as strong a case as possible, but at the end of the day, the criteria for whether an application can be processed 'quickly' or will be slower is quite subjective, based on the experience and knowledge of the immigration officer who is triaging it, so there are no guarantees as to whether your case could be considered straightforward relative to some other applications.

[EGoodhue]

Hi Erin,

Do the other work visas, such as my Talent application, follow the same process?

Cheers!

Yes, I believe this 'triaging' process applies to all work visa applications that are lodged online. Although I expect that the vast majority of Talent work visa applications would be considered 'low touch', as they're incredibly straightforward with very few criteria to meet.

[genegeney]

Yes, I believe this 'triaging' process applies to all work visa applications that are lodged online. Although I expect that the vast majority of Talent work visa applications would be considered 'low touch', as they're incredibly straightforward with very few criteria to meet.

Thanks Erin - but that's the bizarre thing. On the INZ website, it says that 90% of Essential Skills Visa applications are completed within 64 days. Yet, on the same website, it says 90% of Talent (Accredited Employer) Visa applications are completed within 4 months. I just don't get it...

[Scotfraser]

Don’t suppose anyone has any idea on the timeframes for a variation of Conditions application to be processed in this climate? mine should be getting lodged either tomorrow or Monday.

[kitkatable]

Hi all,

I have a question to clarify: Where does JSV categorized? Should I still have hope to receive any update this year?

SMC offshore without Job offer
EOI Submitted: 17 Oct 2018
EOI Selected: 23 Jan 2019
ITA Received: 24 Jan 2019
ITA Lodgement: 17 May 2019
Confirmation: 05 Jun 2019 (Money deducted)

[cmavij]

Mine too is May 2019 lodgement (24th May) offshore without job offer.. Jsv is for smc visa offshore applicants. With the border closure in place and also temporary suspension of visitor visa, I guess our category (i.e non-priority) shall be processed only after opening the borders.. If any one here have different views pls share your thoughts.

[allune]

@cmavij

My honest opinion is that you should have a plan B that doesn’t include NZ in it. You never know what the politicians will enact... they’ve been changing immigration policy yearly since 2016.