New Zealand Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has announced that changes will be made to the requirements for applying for a highly qualified foreigner’s work visa. The aim of this change is to promote the recruitment of local professionals and to manage the quality of the immigrants who arrive in the country.

The main change is that there will be minimum wage requirements for foreigners who depend on a job to obtain residence. That is, applicants must demonstrate that the annual minimum wage to be received is $ 48,859; This in the case of highly skilled workers. If the applicant is listed as “unskilled” but is still in a high salary range, the minimum annual salary must be $ 73,299.

This measure taken by the New Zealand government is later than that adopted by Australia with the 457 visa, which also establishes new requirements for obtaining a work visa.

This change will take effect on August 14, 2017 and it is necessary to take into account that the acceptance of the work visa is also governed by the qualification of studies, experience and language, which is assessed in particular in each case. For more information on the requirements visit the New Zealand Immigration website.

This information is not in any way legal advice, serving only as an informative purpose. If you need professional services in the area of Global immigration and Mobility, please contact our firm.

*It should be noted that the rules of any of the countries listed and the procedures suggested might change at any time without notice.