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Welcome |
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Welcome to this month's edition of IMMagine news. The New Year has begun with a hiss and a roar with inquiries to move to New Zealand showing marked increases out of the United States and South Africa in particular, but also Singapore and Malaysia.
What a fantastic summer we have been having here in Auckland with temperatures still in the mid twenties, the long dry spell continuing with no significant rain since December and the fish still biting in Auckland Harbour. The days are starting to shorten, however, and we appear to be in the last throes of this year's summer. North of Auckland the farmers are literally praying for rain with some townships actually now on water restrictions and down to two week's supply. The Government has declared drought conditions from Auckland North for the second time in three years, so while we townies love the fine hot weather, the poor farmers are doing it tough.
Iain MacLeod Director
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Upcoming New Zealand Immigration Seminars |
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Kuala Lumpur
Seminar: Saturday 24 April at 10.00 a.m. at the KL Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur City Centre.
Consultations: 25, 26, 27, 28 April at the Hotel Hilton 3 Jalan Stesen Sentral. Cost applies.
Register for this New Zealand Immigration Seminar.
Singapore
Seminar: Saturday 20 March at 10.00 a.m. at the Orchard Hotel, 442 Orchard Road
This seminar is now fully booked.
Seminar: 1 May 2010 at 10.00 a.m. at the Orchard Hotel, 442 Orchard Road
Consultations: 30 April, 2 & 3 May at the hotel
Register for this New Zealand Immigration Seminar.
South Africa
Johannesburg
Seminar: Wednesday 24 March at 7.00 p.m. at the Michelangelo Hotel, Nelson Mandela Square, West Street, Sandown.
Consultations: 25, 26, 27, 28 March at the Michelangelo Hotel. Cost applies.
Register for this New Zealand Immigration Seminar.
Cape Town
Seminar: Monday 29 March 7.00 p.m. at the Commodore Hotel, Portswood Road, V & A Waterfront
Consultations: 30 & 31st March at the Commodore Hotel. Cost applies.
Register for this New Zealand Immigration Seminar.
Durban
Seminar: Tuesday 30 March at 7.00 p.m. at the Riverside Hotel, 10 Northway Drive, Durban North
Consultations: 31st March & 1 April at the Riverside Hotel. Cost applies.
Demand for attending our seminars, particularly in Singapore, has grown exponentially in recent months. This might have something to do with the New Zealand Immigration Department's own marketing efforts, but it is causing us a real headache. This is because people, having been pre screened to register for the seminar, often don't respond, even when we ask them to reconfirm shortly before the seminar. Generally we find around half the people who register for the seminar and later confirm they are coming do not turn up. We would, therefore, appreciate if you have friends or family who may wish to attend one of our monthly seminars in Singapore (or anywhere else for that matter) that you please ask them to only register if they are absolutely certain they are going to attend. We appreciate that for a small number of people there will be unforeseen events which will prevent their attending, but we generally assume about half the people who register will not turn up and managing the process is becoming increasingly difficult for us.
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New Zealand Immigration Policy Changes And Update |
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The Government has now publicly released two “Retirement Visas” – one of which is a permanent Visa and one which is temporary.
Temporary Retirement Visas are going to be granted to people who meet the following criteria:
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Be aged 66 years or over.
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Invest NZ$750,000.00 in New Zealand for two years into an “acceptable investment”.
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Demonstrate ownership of NZ$500,000.00 of maintenance funds and at the time of applying for this Visa, an annual income of NZ$60,000.00.
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Meet standard temporary health and character requirements.
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Hold and maintain comprehensive travel and/or health insurance for the duration of the stay.
The cost of this Visa is NZ$2,600.00 and can be renewed every two years so long as the above criteria continue to be satisfied.
In terms of what constitutes an acceptable investment, the same criteria apply as to those applying for residence under the Investor Category and specially excludes direct or indirect investment in residential property or banks.
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New Zealand Retirement Visa – Permanent |
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This is available to any parent who has a prima facie claim to residence under the Family Parent Category i.e. they have a greater number or the same number of adult children lawfully and permanently resident in New Zealand than in any other country, are healthy and conviction free. Alternatively, if they have no adult children living in their “home” country and at least one living in New Zealand, they would be afforded priority processing if:
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They meet standard health and character requirements.
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They invest NZ$1 million for four years into an “acceptable investment”.
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Provide evidence of further cash and/or assets to the value of NZ$500,000.00 and at the time they file their residence application (and during the processing of it) an annual income of NZ$60,000.00.
Effectively this policy allows wealthy parents to queue jump and the sponsor will not have to reside in New Zealand for three years following the grant of their Residence Permit before sponsoring their parents and the current fifteen to twenty-four month queue will also be avoided for those parents. We are not sure how this is going to go down, but our private advice to the Minister was given that the Government maintains this Parent Category as a “social” policy it leaves a sour taste in the mouth to consider that wealthy parents should be allowed to queue jump when the social needs of the “poorer” parent (or sponsor in New Zealand) may in fact be greater. I will give the Government full marks for showing their colours. After twenty years of telling people that to get into New Zealand you did not need to be wealthy, it is quite clear now the Government is happy to change that.
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New Zealand Silver Fern Visa |
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The release of this Work Permit/Visa policy which takes effect next month signals the completion of the Government's proposed changes outlined in their election manifesto two years ago. The Silver Fern Visa is effectively an Open Work Visa granted to those people who have a profile similar to that of a skilled migrant who have a long term intention of remaining in New Zealand. Initially limited to three hundred people the following criteria will apply:
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Be aged 20 – 35.
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Have funds of NZ$4,200.00.
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Have the equivalent of a New Zealand Bachelor's Degree.
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Meet normal health and character entry requirements.
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No partners or dependents can accompany.
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Applications must be made from off-shore and online and will incur a fee.
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IELTS (English language) 6.5 or better.
Initial exchanges with the Service Delivery Team responsible for this policy has set off alarm bells here at IMMagine New Zealand. Three hundred Visas are very few and given that applications are going to be made online one must assume, particularly in markets like China and India, there will be such a rush at one minute past midnight on 27 April that the Immigration server will probably crash given what we expect to be enormous volumes of people seeking these once the word is out. There is no risk profiling i.e. someone from China, India or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, subject to the above, is just as likely to be given this Visa as someone from countries deemed to be “comparable” in terms of their labour market to New Zealand despite the long term aim of this policy being to attract people with these Open Work Visas who will get skilled employment and settle through the Skilled Migrant Category.
The Government's own statistics tend to indicate that when looking at those who have applied for skilled migrant residency who ended up with an Open Work Visa to come here to find work not all migrants are treated equally in the local labour market. It therefore beggars belief that more thought and closer focus on those markets for this particular Silver Fern Visa in order to attract those most likely to find work here appears not to have been given greater consideration.
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Immagine New Zealand House |
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It has recently been reported that rents in New Zealand and, particularly in Auckland, are going through the roof. During the recession fewer builders were building spec houses, the population has grown by tens of thousands over the last year owing to fewer Kiwis leaving the country during the recession, more Kiwis coming home, forty-five thousand Residence Visas being granted to people along with natural population growth. This has led to a real housing shortage and that is pushing up rents quickly. For those who have retained us to prepare, lodge and process their Visa applications our property in the eastern suburbs of Auckland is available to rent for minimum periods of six weeks. With three double bedrooms (and a possible fourth) two living areas and three bathrooms along with secure lockup double garage at NZ$731.25 this represents real value.
For those of you who are heading over to New Zealand in the next few months give this some serious consideration (pictures on our website). If you are interested in renting there is real demand and you do need to make your booking at least three to six months out and then book your airline tickets (not the other way round) in order to ensure you can get the house when you want it.
For details or bookings contact kay@immagine.co.nz
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Immagine New Zealand: Facebook |
We urge as many of you as possible to become fans and those who have had experiences with IMMagine New Zealand (or Protea Pacific as we were know until 15 months ago) are invited to make any postings there that you wish. |
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