New Rules Mean More Planning Needed in International Recruitment Say Immigration Law

The process of hiring staff from offshore can be time-consuming, confusing, and stressful,  so don’t waste time trying to figure it all out yourself. Get Immigration Law’s expert advice and feel confident that you have done the best you can. 

The strengthened Skilled Migrant Residence visa Category or points system have drawn attention because of the imposition of remuneration thresholds to the definition of “skilled employment”. There is, however, less awareness of the restrictions on the ability to claim work experience and the complex rules around that.

There is also less awareness about the differential in remuneration thresholds between Works Visa rules and Skilled Migrant Residence Visa rules. Employers needing to hire from offshore need to ensure the new hire has a pathway to residence if they are seeking to develop a long-term employment relationship.

That is particularly important given the new work visa rules may limit the work visa duration to 12 months and restrict that person’s ability to have family members accompany them.

That sort of restriction, coupled with difficulty in achieving residence may see your potential new hire re-think about a move to New Zealand. The complexities of these  new rules means advice around the skill level of the role; remuneration thresholds and visa duration are important prior to offering roles to offshore candidates. it is equally important to quantify  the prospective new hire’s ability to gain residence.

Each family member must qualify for a visa in their own right. If they fail to meet, say, health criteria and can’t get a visa, it becomes the HR manager’s worst nightmare. Imagine  - your new hire has started and been imbedded into their position for several months only to find his or her daughter can’t get a visa due to a learning disability or health issue.

Hiring expatriate staff needs proper planning. It may be a recruitment exercise for a company; but it’s a migration of a family. The border controls, as they apply to the new hire and all accompanying family, need to be researched in advance to avoid problems and ensure a long term employment relationship will be possible.

NZ Immigration Law provide practical expert advice on immigrating to New Zealand, and their goal is to simplify the application process for you and take the guesswork out of the procedure, so for more information on immigration lawyers Auckland, immigration lawyers NZ and immigration advisers NZ please go to https://www.nzil.co.nz .