The Government is making a number of changes to our permanent and temporary immigration settings aimed at managing the number and improving the quality of migrants coming to New Zealand. It is proposing a number of changes to temporary migration settings to manage the number and settlement expectations of new migrants coming to New Zealand on Essential Skills work visas. Proposed changes include:

• The introduction of remuneration bands to determine the skill level of an Essential Skills visa holders
• A maximum duration of three years for lower-skilled and lower-paid Essential Skills visa holders, after which a minimum stand down period will apply before they are eligible for another lower-skilled temporary work visa.
• Aligning the ability of Essential Skills visa holders to bring their children and partners to New Zealand with the new skill levels.
• Exploring which occupations have a seasonal nature and ensuring that the length of the visa aligns with peak labour demand.

A transition period is proposed so that current ES visa holders will not be adversely affected. The consultation document can be fund here