Amendment To Essential Skills Work Visa Assessment Process

October 9, 2021

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has made new amendments to the assessment of Essential Skills Work Visa applications. The job lists of oversupply and undersupply were part of Government’s COVID-19 response and had contained advice from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) about supply of specific occupation job seekers in regions of New Zealand.

This advice is a part of the assessment of the Labour Market Test (LMT) for jobs paying below the median wage for Essential Skills Work Visa applications.

• From 1st October 2021, the jobseeker oversupply list has been removed by the MSD.
• Later this year the undersupply list will be removed.

The LMT is not required for:

• Occupations on Immigration New Zealand Skill’s Shortage List; or
• For applicants remaining in their current full-time employment, and not changing their role, employer or region of work.

The LMT is still required for:

• Roles paying less than the median wage (NZD $27 per hour); INZ needs to seek advice from MSD when assessing Essential Skills Work Visa applications
• Jobs that were on oversupply list, individual Skills Match Reports (SMR) will be required from MSD.
• Before a job is offered to a migrant worker, MSD will ensure that the New Zealand based employer has made genuine attempts to attract and recruit New Zealanders.

  For more information on hiring of migrant workers, please click on the link here.

If you have any queries or require assistance regarding the above information, please do not hesitate to contact Immigration Advisers New Zealand Ltd. at contact@nzimmigration.info or call +64 09 3790219. Our experienced team of Licensed Immigration Advisers will be happy to guide you.