At a Glance
- Statistics New Zealand will soon release the first version of the National Occupation List, a new job role classification system that will replace the current combined Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations. The implementation date of the replacement has not yet been announced.
- Additionally, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) announced a new processing strategy for Employer Accreditation, Job Check and Accredited Employer Work Visa applications where it will group applications by sector, location, or similarly situated applicants and assign them to dedicated government adjudication teams.
- Lastly, INZ updated the standard government processing times for the Employer Accreditation, Job Check and Accredited Employer Work Visa applications to 11 weeks, 12 weeks and four months, respectively. It also updated the processing time for the Specific Purpose Work Visa to four weeks.
The situation
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has announced wide-ranging changes to its occupation classification list (which is used as part of assessing work visa applications), and adjudication methods and processing times for various immigration processes.
A closer look
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New occupations classification list. On November 20, 2024, Statistics New Zealand will release the first version of the National Occupation List (NOL), a new occupation classification system that will replace the current combined Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). INZ will provide further updates in 2025 once an implementation date for the NOL has been identified. In the meantime, it will continue using ANZSCO. |
The new list is intended to address the specific issues and challenges that New Zealand faces in its labour market. Applicants and employers will have an easier tool to navigate when preparing applications as compared to ANZSCO. |
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New processing prioritization strategy. INZ announced a new processing prioritization strategy for Employer Accreditation, Job Check and Accredited Employer Work Visa applications that will group applications by sector, location, or similarly situated applicants and assign them to dedicated government adjudication teams. Applicants can view the prioritized groups of applications on INZ's website, which is updated every Friday. |
Processing times and consistency in application assessments may improve with this process. |
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Updated standard government processing times. INZ has updated the current standard government processing times for the Employer Accreditation, Job Check and Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) applications to 11 weeks, 12 weeks and four months, respectively (previously 14 weeks, 8 weeks and eight weeks, respectively). It also updated the processing time for the Specific Purpose Work Visa to four weeks (down from six weeks). |
Employers should be aware of the longer AEWV processing times and should plan their mobility decisions farther ahead of time. |
Background
The Australian Bureau of Statistics and Statistics New Zealand announced a new occupation list after consultations revealed strong support for separate lists. This decision reflects significant changes in Australia's and New Zealand's labor markets and acknowledges the growing differences in their economies since the joint classification was established in 2006.
INZ prioritizes the timely processing of AEWV applications. The current focus is optimizing personnel and processes to increase efficiency and ensure that applications are handled promptly.
Looking ahead
The AEWV program will undergo further revisions in 2025 to ensure the three processing stages meet government and industry requirements. The Ministry of Business Industry and Employment recently requested submissions from industry and advisers to present their concerns. The government is expected to use these submissions as part of its continued effort to consider ways to better target and manage risk in the immigration system while ensuring employers are able to source the skills they need.
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