2015-Jun 26: Essential Skills instructions changes – Canterbury rebuild

Visa Pak 217: Information for staff regarding the processing of Essential Skills Work Visas for those in the Canterbury area. Includes information about durations of visas, open conditions, label formatting, and Accredited Labour Hire Employer Applications.

Visa Paks

26 June 2015

A number of changes are being made to the Essential Skills work instructions in support of the Canterbury rebuild and to mitigate the risk of exploitation of lower skilled workers, effective 1 July 2015. These changes are:

  • Extending the duration of work visas: Between 1 July 2015 and 31 December 2016, the maximum duration of Essential Skills visas for lower skilled occupations (ANZSCO Skill level 4-5) has been extended from one to three years for work in Canterbury (Labour hire employers placing workers in the construction sector in Canterbury are excluded from this change unless accredited).
  • Work visas allowing work for any employer: Until 31 December 2017, new Essential Skills work visas in Canterbury will be granted with conditions permitting the visa holder to work for any employer (within the same occupation). Holders of current Essential Skills visas can also apply to remove the condition which requires them to work for a specific employer.
  • A new accreditation policy: An accreditation policy has been introduced for labour hire companies seeking to employ workers. Essential Skills work visas can be granted for up to three years for lower skilled workers employed by an accredited labour hire company. From 1 January 2016, accreditation will be compulsory for labour hire companies in the construction sector in Canterbury seeking to employ workers on Essential Skills work visas.

The changes are set out in the tables below.

*For the purposes of the policy changes, employment in the Canterbury region is specified under W2.25 Conditions of work visas and WK2.20 Instructions on duration of Essential Skills work visas in the Operational Manual as:

Employment is in the Canterbury region if the entire or principal place of work (as defined in section 2 of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992) is within the territorial authorities of Christchurch City Council, Selwyn District Council and Waimakariri District Council.

Training Module in LMS

To assist staff in understanding the changes, a training module on the MBIE Learning Management System is available.

Label formatting

When formatting the work conditions on visa labels for work in the specified Canterbury region please use the following format:

Holder may work as <occupation> for <any employer> in <location>.

This is to ensure potential employers in the specified Canterbury region receive the correct response when accessing VisaView.

Letters

Additions have been made to the Template letter System Work Visa approval letters (V31 d and e) to reflect the policy changes.

Accredited Labour Hire Employer Applications

The Business Migration Branch will be responsible for processing applications from labour hire employers to become accredited. A new form Labour Hire Employer Accreditation Application (INZ 1227) and checklist will be available on the INZ website from 1 July 2015.
Please ensure your teams are familiar with the changes and complete the LMS training module.

Action

Please discuss with your team(s) to ensure staff are aware.