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Immigration application fees to increase on 1 October 2024 On 9 August 2024, the Government announced that immigration application fees will increase effective 1 October 2024. Fees are approximately doubling for most of the applications. This followed speculation since before the election in 2023 that the incoming National led government might increase fees to 90% […]

Entrepreneur Visa The entrepreneur category allows self-employment and setting up a business here. It involves very small amounts of capital ($100-150,0000) There are some exceptions e.g. in ICT) but strict adherence to a three-year business plan. Normally a work visa is required for two years before applying for residence. There is a fast track provision

Immigration law is a complex field, with changes happening at a rapid pace. With our  insights and updates, you’ll be well-equipped to understand the intricacies of the law. Out with the old… In July 2022 the Investor Plus 1 and 2  categories  closed to new applicants. We’re continuing to assist clients in the “tail” of

In 2022 and 2023, Richard Small and Pacific Legal were proud to partner with leading civil infrastructure and engineering firm Fulton Hogan, and Pacific community leaders including Melina Maka of the Tongan Advisory Council, to support a recruitment programme for machine operators and drivers from Tonga. Fulton Hogan staff visited Tonga to prequalify candidates in

What you need to know before purchasing property? We often get questions from clients about buying property in New Zealand. Having made a commitment to live in New Zealand, buying a home is the next logical step. The proposed exemption for high-value homes has not gone ahead, so what are the basic rules? Overseas Investment

Pacific Legal has been delighted to provide immigration services Tara Iti in the development of two world class golf courses at Te Arai Links at Mangawhai, north of Auckland. In the midst of the Covid border closure in 2020, we successfully obtained exemptions to allow the course designer and shapers to enter New Zealand. When we started

A new Minister Prior to the October 2023 election National’s immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford was very proactive in pointing out failures of the Accredited Employer Work Visa especially around migrant exploitation. On 27 November Hon Erica Stanford became the Immigration Minister.  The immigration industry, advisors and lawyers have generally welcomed her as a minister who

Back in November 2022 we commented on the reopening of the Parent Category. We explained that this was a lottery with 2500 places of which 2000 were dedicated to the many thousands of Parent Category Expressions of Interest (“EOI”) that had been lodged since selections were put on hold in October 2016. Any EOIs that

Immigration New Zealand will accept registrations for the 2023 Samoan Quota (SQ) and Pacific Access Category (PAC) ballots from 1 August 2023 to 5pm 31 August 2023. These annual programs enable individuals from Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Fiji to go into a lottery for residence in New Zealand. They were closed for a number

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, sponsors and employers were not