Immigration News: Investigations into exploitation of Indian immigrants in Auckland; New Zealand extends Work to Residence eligibility to non-AEWV holders

Contact Immigration New Zealand (INZ) for help. (Photo: Kerin Gedge via Unsplash)

Investigations under way into the exploitation of Indian and Bangladeshi immigrants in Auckland: The New Zealand government has announced an investigation into the alleged case of Indian and Bangladeshi nationals who arrived in New Zealand with the promise of employment that did not eventuate.

On August 13, 2023, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) became aware of a number of Indian nationals residing at one Papakura property, who had arrived in New Zealand on Accredited Employer Work Visas (AEWV) and the promised employment had not materialised. These Indian nationals told INZ that they had paid large sums of money for the visa and the job in New Zealand. These individuals were accommodated in properties that were unhygienic, unsanitary, and inappropriate. Some of them have  been in New Zealand for several months and some have more recently arrived.

INZ has now identified 144 migrants who are connected to this investigation. The Indian High Commission in New Zealand has been engaged to provide support to the affected Indian immigrants.

How to protect yourself from immigration scam: If you are a migrant working in New Zealand, and think you are being exploited, contact Immigration New Zealand for help. INZ can help you to take action, if needed. Cases can be reported to Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) contact centre on 0800 20 90 20. Alternatively, they can be reported to police or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via the online Crimestoppers form.

Green List extended to AEWV holders: The eligibility for New Zealand’s Green List Work to Residence visas is being extended to include non-Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) holders. and Critical Purpose Visitor Visa holders with work rights.

When the visas open for applications from September 29, 2023, all temporary work visa holders and Critical Purpose Visitor Visa holders with work rights will be able to claim work experience to count towards them.

Applicants will need to have had 2 years of work experience in a relevant role starting from September 29, 2021, and meet the relevant skill and wage thresholds.

This change aligns these residence pathway settings with the new Skilled Migrant Category, which ensures the settings are consistent, and reduces the complexity for applicants.

Applicants will also need to meet the median wage requirements and other standard residence requirements including health, character, age, and English language when they apply for residence, according to New Zealand Immigration Service.

TAE and LTSSL work visa channel changes: Effective August 31, 2023, Talent Accredited Employer (TAE) and Long Term Skill Shortage (LTSSL) Work visa holders who were outside of New Zealand due to border closure during the Covid-19 response will no longer be able to submit further TAE or LTSSL applications to restart their residence pathway.

New Zealand to introduce new median wage from February 2024: New Zealand has announced that the new median wage of NZD $31.61 an hour will be adopted into the immigration system in February 2024.

Many work and skilled residence visa categories have wage thresholds or criteria that are based on the median wage. Most wage thresholds indexed to the median wage will be updated. This includes the Accredited Employer Visa (AEWV), the Skilled Migrant Category, and some occupations covered by Sector Agreements and the Green List.

Parent category wage thresholds are updated separately and the tourism and hospitality wage threshold will also be updated separately in April 2024.

Last year, a standard process was set up to update the median wage in the immigration system in February the following year. This gives businesses around six months to prepare for the change from the time it gets updated by Statistics NZ.

Backlog in processing of Finland’s residence permits: The Immigration Service of Finland has announced that it is experiencing backlogs in the processing of students’ residence permit applications. At the moment, there are approximately 1,780 first applications for a residence permit for studies waiting for a decision.

Usually, nearly 60 per cent of those who apply for a first residence permit for studies get a decision within 30 days or less. The delay has been attributed to a sharp increase in the number of applications for a first residence permit. In January–July 2022, Finland received 5,911 applications for a residence permit for studies, whereas in January-July 2023, the number rose to 8,762 applications. Another factor that has affected the processing times is the large number of incoming D visa applications, especially in situations where a D visa is not necessarily needed.

Things to consider if you do not get the residence permit on time

According to the Finnish Immigration Service, if you do not receive your residence permit on time, if you cannot start your studies this autumn, or choose to postpone your studies, this is what one should do:

·      You have been granted a residence permit but cannot start your studies this autumn. Instead, your studies will begin in January:  In this case, you do not need to notify the Finnish Immigration of the rescheduled start. You may arrive in Finland with your residence permit when your studies begin.

·      Your residence permit is still being processed and you cannot start your studies this autumn: Send a message in Enter Finland stating that the beginning of your studies is about to be postponed. You can send the message under ‘Send additional information’.

·      You have been granted a residence permit but decide to postpone the start date of your studies: Send a message to migri@migri.fi stating that you will start your studies on a later date; mention the new start date in your message. Travel to Finland only when your studies will begin. If you are not studying, your residence permit may be withdrawn.

·      You are in Finland with a residence permit for studies and have applied for an extended permit: You may continue your studies while you wait for a decision. If you applied for an extended permit before your previous residence permit expired, you may work, too.