Immigration New Zealand has just announced new work rights for partners of some work visa holders – great news for many migrant families.
From 2 December 2024, partners of many work visa holders will regain open work rights in New Zealand. Open work rights allow a person to work for any employer in any location and be paid at least the minimum wage. This is a major improvement on the current work rights that require a partner to be working for an accredited employer at the median wage.
Who Benefits?
You may qualify if you are the partner of an Essential Skills work visa holder earning at least $25.29 an hour.
For partners of Accredited Employer Work visa (AEWV) holders, you may qualify if your partner:
- Works in a higher-skilled role (ANZSCO skill level 1-3) and earns at least 80% of the median wage (currently $25.29 per hour); or
- Works in a lower-skilled role (ANZSCO Level 4-5) and is paid:
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- at least 1.5 times the standard median wage (currently this works out to $47.41 an hour), or
- at least $31.61 an hour in a role on the Green List and meeting the Green List requirements for that role, or
- at least 80 percent of the standard median wage (this works out currently to $25.29 an hour) and meets the requirements of a role in the Transport or Care Sector Agreements or is paid the wage specified in the sector agreement, whichever is higher.
Next steps?
If you have a partnership-based work visa with specific employment conditions, and your partner meets one of the above conditions, we can help you apply for a variation on visa conditions from 2 December 2024 to get open work rights.
If your partner is currently overseas and the new visa conditions are now attractive for them to move to New Zealand, contact us and we can talk through starting a partnership-based visa.
Need Help?
Contact any one of our 9 Licensed Immigration Advisers to discuss how these changes may affect you and how we can help.
