Moaner Visa

For those who don’t know October 1st brings some sweeping changes to the visa process. Specifically, the amount each one will cost. You may be thinking that they’ve lowered the price seeing as we have a perpetual skills shortage here in Aotearoa, you would be mistaken, and that mistake could be costly! I’m a proud pet-eating immigrant myself. I came to NZ on a steam powered chug boat fresh from the islands (the Channel Islands) back in 2013. Macklemore’s Thrift Shop was dominating the radio waves, a popular dance known as the Harlem Shake was sweeping the nation, and the newest iPhone boasted cutting edge tech in the form of a fingerprint sensor. Good times. I can’t remember the exact amount for my original working holiday visa but, $100 seems about right. Due to my aversion to admin, I know the exact amount my work visa cost as I went through an immigration advisor. In 2014 a work visa cost you $270 and lasted a couple of years. There were of course some X-rays and added costs that needed to be covered but generally, not too taxing on the back pocket.

Fast forward to 2024. Oasis are touring, Beetlejuice is in cinemas and Jamie Vardy is banging them in for Leicester City. The first publicized price increase I was aware of was to the IVL, the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. The current charge of $35 per eligible person is increasing to $100 as of next month. When this was reported I thought nothing of it, I kind of support it. I mean, if you’re keen on coming to NZ, 65 bucks isn’t going to put you off. It’s like the cost of using national parks for tourists, I can get behind that. However, some of the gouging that’s taking place to people who have been living and contributing to NZ is a little beyond the pale. As follows are some of the increases taking effect in a couple of weeks.

• Skilled Residence Category migrant visas from $4290 to $6450

• Entrepreneur Residence Category visa from $6860 to $14,890

• Active Investor Plus Category from $7900 to $27,470

• Residence from Work Category from $4240 to $6490

• Family Category from $2750 to $5360

• Dependent Child visa from $2750 to $3230

• Parent Retirement Category from $5260 to $12,850

• Employees of Relocating Business Category from $4350 to $5510

• Pitcairn Islanders from $1610 to $1940

• Temporary Retirement Category visitor visa from $3790 to $7791

• Student visas from $375 to $750

• Post-study work visa from $700 to $1670

• Work to Residence and Partner work visa both up from $860 to $1630

• Entrepreneur Work Visa from $3920 to $12,380

• Working Holiday scheme from $420 to $670, with extensions to the scheme going from $420 to $700

• Accredited Employer Work Visa from $750 to $1540

This not only affects our industry but all the industries we recruit into. I was chatting with a National People and Culture Manager at one of the big agencies this week. The process of bringing someone on who hasn’t got the right to work indefinitely now is edging dangerously close to too-hard basket territory. It’s not just the price increase, it’s the hoops that need to be jumped through and the amount of time it takes. You of course must prove you advertised the role and no one local is suitable. The ad must run for 2 weeks minimum, in which time 100’s of applications will flood in. The process will take months, and who knows what the market will be like by the end of it. Also, the eligibility of the applicants hangs on them either possessing a bachelor’s degree or having 3 years of local work experience under their belt. That’s recruitment agencies that are becoming apathetic to the process, private businesses are going to be even less inclined.

I can’t seem to leave my house at the minute without someone with their hand out. Recently it was two sets of hands in the form of Smith and Smith when a pebble fell from the heavens and obliterated my windscreen. Hamilton Gardens, a beloved outing in the Burnett household, is now charging $20 for a jaunt round, and if you want to watch all the footy it's annoyingly split across Sky Sports, DAZN, and BeIN these days. Money is tight all around this year which is why the timing of these hikes is less than ideal. Things will turn back on eventually and we’ll be job-rich candidate-poor like the good old days. I can’t help but think this is at best a little shortsighted and at worst a bit of a money grab. You've still got time! Don't forget to dot the I's and cross the T's or it's back to square one only this time, it's going to cost ya.