2015-Oct 02: Work and Income advice for low-skilled Essential Skills work visa applications

Visa Pak 231- Advice for staff about work and Income advice for low-skilled Essential Skills work visa applications and the new streamlined process that will be available for employers to obtain this.

Visa Paks

2 October 2015

Under Essential Skills instructions, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) must seek advice from Work and Income about the availability of New Zealanders to do the work offered for low-skilled occupations (ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5). This is currently managed as a referral via the Labour Market Check portal.

A new, streamlined labour market process will apply from November 2015, encouraging employers to engage with Work and Income before supporting a low-skilled Essential Skills work visa application. This item provides some useful information should applicants, employers, or Work and Income colleagues raise questions.

Standardised process
INZ and Work and Income have agreed to a standardised process for employers who approach Work and Income before choosing to support a migrant’s Essential Skills work visa application. This process will be optional from 1 November 2015 and will become mandatory in early-mid 2016.

Employers who engage with Work and Income before an Essential Skills visa application is lodged will receive a report from Work and Income called a ‘skills match report’. The skills match report will include information such as:

  • The number of suitable New Zealanders available to take up the role or to be trained for the role, or advice that there are none available
  • Vacancy details, such as job title, job description and conditions, other skills required by the employer
  • Employer contact details
  • Any other comments regarding the employer’s engagement with New Zealand candidates.

From November (non-mandatory): When an application includes a valid skills match report, immigration officers can use this information to determine whether New Zealanders are available. When a skills match report is provided, referral through the Labour Market Check Portal should not be made. If a skills match report is not provided, referral should be made through the Labour Market Check portal as is currently done.

After the new process becomes mandatory: A skills match report will be a mandatory lodgement requirement for Essential Skills work visa applications where the job is at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5. Applicants will be advised that their employer must approach Work and Income and receive a skills match report before a corresponding Essential Skills visa application can be lodged.

Receiving standardised Work and Income advice up front is expected to make processing these applications simpler and faster for immigration officers.

It is important to note that the skills match report is not conclusive evidence of an employer’s genuine attempts to attract and recruit New Zealanders. As required by immigration instructions, immigration officers must also consider an employer’s genuine attempts to attract and recruit New Zealanders outside of their engagement with Work and Income.

Action

  • No action is required by staff at this time.
  • This process will not formally be available to employers until November this year, except in Queenstown where the process is already operating successfully.
  • Further details, including examples of skills match reports, will be provided in the next few weeks.
  • In the meantime, employers may continue to approach Work and Income prior to visa application lodgement in an ad hoc or informal manner. Any employers interested in the new process should be advised that further information will be made available closer to the time.