August 28 2024: Starting October 1, 2024, migrant school leavers in New Zealand will have more opportunities to work part-time while they wait for their family residence visa applications to be processed.
If You Are on a Visitor Visa
- Already on a Visitor Visa – If you’re eligible, you can apply for a variation of your visitor visa conditions to obtain these work rights starting October 1.
- Applying for a Visitor Visa – If you’re eligible, you can include a request for work rights in your visa application from October 1.
Who Can Apply?
To qualify for these new work rights, you need to meet the following criteria:
Resident Visa Application: You must be an applicant for or have already applied for one of the following resident visa categories:
- Dependent Child Resident Visa
- Skilled Migrant Category Visa (both current and pre-October 2023 criteria)
- Straight to Residence Visa
- Work to Residence Visa
- Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa
- Transport Sector Work to Residence Visa
- Hold an eligible visitor visa and be the dependent child of a work visa holder or a New Zealand citizen/resident.
- Be 17 and have completed high school, or between 18 and 24 years old.
What Are the New Work Rights?
If you are eligible, you can work:
- Up to 20 hours per week from February 1 to November 30.
- Up to 40 hours per week from December 1 to January 31.
These work rights are similar to those already available to Year 12 and 13 students with a Dependent Child Student Visa.
Who Will Benefit?
This change will help migrant families, especially those with young adults who have just finished high school. Before this, these individuals couldn’t work while waiting for their family’s residence applications to be processed. Now, they can earn money and gain work experience during this time.
More part-time workers will also benefit businesses, particularly those in retail, hospitality, and services.
Why Is This Happening?
The government wants to ease the financial burden on migrant families and help young migrants integrate into the workforce. The policy ensures fairness across different visa categories by aligning these new work rights with those for students holding Dependent Child Student Visas.
Stay Updated
This change takes effect on October 1, 2024. Look for more details on how it will be implemented.
Reference
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/
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