Priority processing

[Scotfraser]

Hi everyone just a few questions regarding the priority processing rules hopefully someone’s been in a similar situation.

My employers willing to change my contract to salary from hourly above the current threshold for priority processing however the hours I work will be 50 per week instead of 40 my question with this is will this still qualify for the priority processing?

Also my job is air conditioning and refrigeration mechanic on the inz website it says licensing and registration may be required if I got this would that qualify me for priority processing?

Thanks as always in advance for the input 😀

[satty02]

you need to get 51 NZD Per hour to get qualified (not just 106K/year, this is based on 51 NZD/PH for 40 hours a week) and in your case, it would need 132,600 Pear year based on 50 hours each week.

[Scotfraser]

Thanks for the response satty02 😀 that’s where I’m getting slightly confused as the immigration website says 51 per hour or an annual salary of 106080 but the annual salary must be based on 40 hours a week?

Therefore if I theoretically had a salary of 106080 based on a contract which said 40 hours per week but done ten hours overtime a week unpaid I’d still technically be based on a 40 hour a week salary? In construction it’s pretty common to work overtime above the contracted hours just want to make sure I wouldn’t be getting declined for working more? Thus bringing my average wage down?

[JandM]

I don't know if this applies to qualifying for priority, but when INZ talk about 'a full-time job' for the purposes of residence under SMC, they're referring to a 30-hour week. The details about priority seem not to be spelt out plainly anywhere. Have you tried checking this with the call centre?

[Scotfraser]

Hi jandm no I haven’t tried the call center I’m waiting for the smc to reopen to apply but The link where I’ve got my information is here

https://www.immigration.govt.nz/abou...ation-advisers

[satty02]

I am not an LIA but I can tell you from other people's exp INZ will look at the No. of hours mentioned in the contract and the average pay for an hour (if you were doing 30 hours a week and getting 51 PH you will qualify for priority queue), so it's based on the numbers mentioned in your contract and what average hours amount to, and sorry not so sure about doing extra hours without getting paid, I guess that would be to do more with the employer rather than you being harassed/exploited by asking 10 hours each week to do more.

[satty02]

it's most likely they won't open the EOI selection until the mid-year or even in Sep 2021 and an interesting thing will happen in June or July that median Salary will be 27PH for the purpose of INZ assessment and it would mean to get into the priority queue based on the Salary will also right and will be 54/PH (double the median), and you can do maths from here based on the number of hours mentioned in the contract to see how many you need to make in a year/hourly basis.

[AlexKiwi2019]

After reviewing the Operational Manual (section A16.1), I noted the following prioritization criteria:

For Residence from Work Category applications (Talent (Accredited Employer), Talent (Arts, Culture and Sport), South Island Contribution, Religious Worker and Long Term Skill Shortage List), priority will be given to:
Applications which include a job offer with an hourly rate equivalent to or higher than twice the median wage (currently $51.00 per hour or an annual salary of $106,080 or more);
Applications which include a job offer which requires occupational registration where occupational registration is required by immigration instructions;

I applied for residence a couple of weeks ago after working for two years on a Long Term Skill Shortage List work visa, and since September 2020 have earned over twice the median wage (after a performance-related pay increase). However I was earning just under the priority threshold salary amount when my work visa was granted in April 2019.
I applied for Residence under the impression I would be fortunate enough to qualify for priority processing, however the above wording of 'job offer' in the prioritization criteria made me wonder if INZ based my salary on the amount I earned when I was granted my work-to-residency visa in April 2019?

I ask this question after INZ called my employer today to confirm a few details, and they did ask a question about my salary increase in September 2020. Does a call from INZ to my employer indicate I already have a Case officer assigned to my application?
Any insights much appreciated! =)

[Kelerei]

I ask this question after INZ called my employer today to confirm a few details, and they did ask a question about my salary increase in September 2020. Does a call from INZ to my employer indicate I already have a Case officer assigned to my application?

You almost certainly have an Immigration Officer actively working on your application, given the call to your employer (which would have been to verify your employment).