News and Articles

Look Before You Leap!
Requesting Your Information from Immigration New Zealand. Pacific Legal is the recognized field leader. Here at Pacific Legal we have a long-standing reputation for requesting our clients’ files even in routine cases under the Privacy and Official Information Acts. This is because time and again we have found information that clients,

Major Skilled Migrant Category Changes: Opportunities for Some; Challenges for Others
On 21 June 2023 outgoing Minister of Immigration Michael Wood announced the biggest change to the Skilled Migrant visa in many years. A review was signalled months earlier and we now have the details. In this update we: Summarize key changes Explain the timeframe Indicate some winners and losers Key
Big Changes for Partner of Work Visa Holders Applying After 31 May 2023!
Median Wage Required for Most Partners From May 31, 2023 partners of accredited employer and essential skills work visa holders who apply for a Partner of a Worker Work Visa will have new conditions that they paid at least the median wage currently NZD $29.66. The median wage is reviewed

Parent Category re-opens… as a lottery for new applications
Updated information – November 2023 On 12 October the Minister of Immigration Hon Michael Wood-announced the reopening of the Residence Parent Category which has been on hold for a number of years. Immigration New Zealand will resume selecting existing Expressions of Interest (EOIs) on 14 November 2022. A selection for new

NZ Government Increases Access to Working Holiday Visas
In attempt to help ease casual workforce shortages, the New Zealand Government recently announced[1] several changes to the Working Holiday Visa which will benefit the tourism industry over summer and beyond. Immigration Minister Michael Wood revealed a ‘revitalised and streamlined immigration system’ that would help relieve workforce shortages by temporarily

AI+ Investment Shakeup Favours Direct Investment in New Zealand Companies: Raises Minimum Investment
On 20 July 2022, the Ministers of Immigration and Economic and Regional Development announced the biggest overhaul in New Zealand’s investment instructions for over a decade. The new category is called the Active Investor Plus Category (AI+). The focus is on direct investment into New Zealand firms to assist them