More Expats Needed to Work in New Zealand

There is an increasing demand among employers in New Zealand for overseas workers to come and work in New Zealand

An interesting survey has just been conducted and the results complied by Hays Recruitment; the survey relates to current average salaries in New Zealand, wage increases over the past 12 months in key employment sectors and also general attitudes among employers relating to the acquisition and retention of decent staff.  One of the most significant findings of the 2007 NZ Hays Salary Survey was that many employers feel that more expats are needed to work in New Zealand.

There are definite pockets of skills shortage affecting recruitment and as a result 64% of all employers surveyed stated that they are now seriously considering looking overseas and sponsoring candidates from abroad to come and live and work in New Zealand.  This is a substantial rise on the number of employers who stated the self-same thing last year and it translates into good news for anyone interested in immigrating - in this article we look at getting ‘Work to Residence Visas’ or ‘General Work Visas’ so that you can go and take up a job offer in New Zealand.

Work to Residence Visas are by far the best type of visa that you can get if you want to emigrate permanently and start a new life…you are pretty much guaranteed a permanent residency visa to remain in New Zealand if you get one of these visas first, remain in employment for at least two years and then apply directly for a residency permit.

There are three subcategory of visa within the ‘Work to Residence Visa’ range, each allows you permission to work in the specific job or field for 30 months and each is a multiple entry visa - they are: -

WR1 Talent - accredited employers - this is the most likely type of visa that the employers interviewed for the 2007 NZ Hays Salary Survey will be offering. 

Basically where an employer believes more expats are needed to work in New Zealand he can apply to become an accredited employer and be in a position to offer jobs and visas to qualified and qualifying overseas candidates.

To be able to take up such a visa you have to be under 56 years of age and have a job offer from an accredited employer.

WR2 Talent - arts, culture and sport - this type of visa is almost identical to the former type – except that you have to show exceptional talent in your particular artistic, cultural or sporting field and be able to demonstrate how you will benefit New Zealand through your accomplishments.

WR3 Long Term Skill Shortage List (or LTSSL) - if you are lucky enough to have skills and qualifications as listed on the New Zealand long term skill shortage list (which changes and is updated all the time) then you can apply for this type of visa and most likely get your residency within two years.

If you don’t qualify for any of these visas because the employer offering you a job is not accredited or your skills are not on the shortage list then you can try and get what’s called a ‘General Work Visa.’ The reason this type of visa is not as attractive as the former is because it does not provide such a smooth and almost guaranteed path to permanent residency and you must, must, must keep this in mind.

Firstly you need to get a job offer to be able to apply for this type of visa – so, ensure your qualifications and skills are valued and counted the same in New Zealand and then target recruitment agencies and employers in an attempt to find a job.  With an offer in hand you can apply for a ‘General Work Visa’ which will be valid for up to three years…at which time you can leave the country or apply for a visa extension or you can have begun the application process for permanent residency under the ‘Skilled Migrant’ category.

As stated, there is no guarantee with this type of visa that you will be able to remain in New Zealand forever so you have to keep this in mind when it comes to the plans you make relating to things such as home ownership for example.

In conclusion, if you’re dreaming of living in New Zealand, you’re under 56 years of age and are happy to work rather than put your feet up and relax into early retirement, why not begin looking at options relating to obtaining work permits and visas to gain entry to the country.  You can then see whether you’re happy in the work place, whether the country was all you’d hoped and whether you and your immediate family could be happy permanently living in New Zealand – and if all the boxes are positively ticked then you can then see about applying for permanent residency.