The New Zealand Government has announced a new one-off residence category, the 2021 Resident Visa.
This will enable a large number of work visa holders to remain in New Zealand permanently. The Visa has been created to recognise the contribution migrants have made to New Zealand during COVID-19 and the uncertainly they have faced with closed borders and the required changes to immigration settings.
The new Visa will allow employers to retain settled, skilled and scarce migrant workers. The Visa is also available to those who have already submitted a resident visa application under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) and Residence from Work (RfW). It is also available to those who have submitted a SMC Expression of Interest as well as many other work visa holders who may not have been eligible through the current skilled residence pathway.
The 2021 Resident Visa will be open for applications in two stages, with the first group being able to apply from 1 December 2021.
The processing of 2021 Resident Visa applications is a priority for Immigration New Zealand over the next 12 months.
To check if you are eligible, please click on this Immigration New Zealand link below
2021 Resident Visa eligibility
We have an experienced immigration team at Kannangara Thomson and for further information please feel free to contact either Sathiya Muralidaran (email sathiya@ktlaw.co.nz) or John Yoon (email john@ktlaw.co.nz) or phone our office on (03) 377 4421