New Zealand tightens work visas. New rules in place for stay, running business

New Zealand has changed its employment visa program after a near record migration last year which it said was "unsustainable".

The changes include measures such as introducing English language requirement for low skilled jobs and setting a minimum skills and work experience threshold for most employer work visas. 

The maximum continuous stay for most low skilled roles will also be reduced to three years from five years.

Key changes include

• English language requirements put in for migrants applying for low-skilled roles at levels 4 and 5
• A minimum skills and work experience criteria
• Employers seeking to fill level 4 and 5 positions must engage with Work and Income before migrant approvals
• The maximum continuous stay for such roles will be reduced from 5 to 3 years
• The franchisee accreditation category will also be disbanded, and firms will need to follow standard, high-volume, or triangular employment accreditation processes to hire overseas workers.

"The Government is focused on attracting and retaining the highly skilled migrants such as secondary teachers, where there is a skill shortage," Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said in a statement.

"At the same time we need to ensure that New Zealanders are put to the front of the line for jobs where there are no skills shortages," she said.

Last year, a near record 173,000 people migrated to New Zealand, the statement said.

New Zealand, which has a population of about 5.1 million, has seen a rapid growth in its migrant numbers since the end of the pandemic, raising concerns last year that it was fanning inflation.

Neighbouring Australia, which has also seen a big jump in migrants, has said it would halve its migrant intake over the next two years.