This article first appeared in October 2017 issue of Hospitality Insights Vol 1, No 1, Inaugural issue.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) recently announced changes to the skilled migrant residence and essential-skills work visas based on a strong association between skills and salary. This shift will impact both employers and migrants, especially in hospitality.
According to the INZ, the hospitality sector was the fourth-largest recipient of skilled migrant residence visas in their last reporting year [1,2]. INZ expects migrants employed as chefs, café/restaurant managers and retail managers to be the hardest hit by these changes [1,2]. Residence under the skilled migrant policy can be gained for jobs in skill levels 1–3 as defined in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). Traditionally, hotel managers, chefs, and café/restaurant managers have been classed as level 2, and bakers at level 3 in accordance with ANZSCO. However, skills levels are now also assessed based on salary (at least $23.49 p/h) and specialist skills obtained through qualifications and/or work experience.
To read more, please click here: Recent changes to immigration laws – AUT publication