At a Glance
- Immigration New Zealand is prioritizing Accredited Employer Work Visa applications for occupations on the Green List, which are in-demand roles that are in shortage in the country.
- This should speed up processing of applications for these roles.
- This will not impact processing times of applications for other occupations.
The situation
An update from Immigration New Zealand advises that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is prioritizing Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) applications for occupations on the Green List, which are in-demand roles that are in shortage in the country. INZ did not state an end date for this arrangement
A closer look
Standard government processing times for the AEWV process are currently six weeks each for the Accreditation step, the Job Check step and the visa application process. Processing times for applications for occupations on the Green List are expected to decrease due to this announcement.
Background
The AEWV program was introduced in 2022. The government has announced various related compliance and process requirements periodically that have an impact on AEWV applications.
Impact
Affected applicants and their employers will benefit from faster processing for visa applications for roles on the Green List.
Looking ahead
Given the changes introduced in April impacting lower skilled occupations, these further changes indicate the government's focus on facilitating the entry of highly-skilled workers and addressing skill shortages to assist the economy. The government has indicated that further changes to the AEWV program may be introduced progressively. We will report on related developments.
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