Immigration Overview 2025
It has been a challenging year for employers and migrants. It has also been a busy one – as of the end of 30 November, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) had approved more than 173,000 Accredited Employer Work Visas.
There has also been a lot of change, but not the one change that many needed – a path to residence. However, the good news is that we are expecting this change in August 2026.
End of the employment law module requirements
At the end of January, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) removed the requirement for accredited employers to complete online employment law modules or to provide paid time to Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) holders to complete them too.
Visitors can work remotely
Also in January, visitor visas were changed to enable remote work for overseas-based employers or overseas-based self-employment. However, this change does not permit visitors to work for New Zealand based employers or clients.
Removal of median wage for AEWVs
In March, the requirement for AEWV holders to be paid the median wage, which is currently $33.56, was removed. Instead, visa holders must now be paid the market rate. INZ has issued guidance to assist employers to check that they are meeting the market rate requirement.
Active Investor Plus category becomes a lot more attractive
On 1 April, changes to the Active Investor Plus category broadened investment options, and many investors only need to spend 21 days inside New Zealand to obtain permanent residence. The English language requirement was also removed. The government has subsequently announced that people holding an Active Investor Plus visa will be able to purchase residential property. The law is in its final stages, having been passed by parliament on Friday, 12 December.
More jobs added to the Green List
In July, the government added several trade occupations to the Green List, which enables a pathway to residence. These occupations included Fitters, Welders, Panel Beaters, and Vehicle Painters. Unfortunately, the required remuneration rate is too high for most employers. Therefore, the change was largely ineffective.
Parent Boost Visa introduced
At the end of September, the government introduced a Parent Boost visa. A form of visitor visa, it can enable parents of New Zealand residents or citizens to stay for up to ten years. However, the health requirements and the necessity to maintain comprehensive insurance, which is very expensive, has meant that many families have been unable to benefit from this change.
INZ starts the move to a different occupation classification system
INZ also announced in September that it was putting in place arrangements to transition from the current occupation classification system (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations) to the National Occupation List (NOL). This change will enable some workers to stay in New Zealand for five years, rather than the maximum three years under the AEWV system. However, the change to NOL does not yet impact eligibility for residence.
Business Investor Visa introduced
Previously, self-employed migrants could only apply to come to New Zealand under the Entrepreneur Category, which had a very high decline rate. This has been replaced by the new Business Investor Visa, which came into effect on 8 December, and allows a self-employed migrant to buy, or buy into, an existing New Zealand business and progress to residence. The minimum investment is $1million. The difficult part is finding the businesses to buy. Duncan Cotterill has a partnership to specifically assist with this.
Student visa holders can work 25 hours a week
From 3 November, many student visa holders can work 25 hours a week, an increase from the previous 20 hours a week.
New seasonal AEWVs introduced
In December, INZ introduced visas to assist industries that need to employ migrants in specific roles, for seasonal peaks. One, the Global Seasonal Work Visa, does not require the employer to advertise the position. However, the applicant must have at least three seasons of relevant work experience. The other, the Peak Seasonal Visa, requires the employer to advertise the position with Work and Income New Zealand and travel insurance may be required. The list of roles can be found at Global and Peak Seasonal Visas
Other changes or observations
We are seeing many employers losing their accreditation due to inadvertent mistakes, such as employing working holidaymakers longer than permitted or making unpermitted, albeit small, deductions from employees’ wages. A major cause of this is that INZ has undertaken over 2500 post accreditation checks on employers this year and only 50% identified no concerns.
INZ is also taking a stricter approach to application requirements and may decline applications where police certificates have not been provided. This is aimed at ensuring faster processing for those applicants who do submit complete applications. The good news is that the average AEWV application is now being processed in about two weeks.
Finally, it is important to remember that migrants with an AEWV can spend a maximum of five years in New Zealand, and in many cases only three years, depending on their role. At the end of the maximum stay period, they must remain outside of New Zealand for at least 12 months before returning. However, for those who may qualify for residence under the changes next year, there may be 12-month further visas available, to enable them to meet the work experience requirements for residence. More information will come next year.
From all of the Immigration Team at Duncan Cotterill, have a great break over the festive season, and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year!
Disclaimer: The content of this article is general in nature and not intended as a substitute for specific professional advice on any matter and should not be relied upon for that purpose.
