New Zealand Government is proposing some changes to Essential Skills Work Visas. The changes include: The introduction of remuneration bands to determine the skill level of an Essential Skills visa holder, which would align with the remuneration thresholds being introduced for Skilled Migrant Category applicants The introduction of a maximum duration of three years for lower-skilled and lower-paid Essential Skills visa holders, after which a minimum stand-down period will apply before they are eligible for another lower-skilled temporary work visa. Aligning the ability of Essential Skills visa holders to bring their children and partners to New Zealand with the new skill levels. Exploring which occupations have a seasonal nature and ensuring that the length of the visa aligns with peak labour demand. Public consultation on the changes to temporary migration settings closes on 21 May, with implementation planned for later this year.
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Today, 19th April 2017, Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse announced changes to Skill Migrant Category (SMC). Two remuneration thresholds are being introduced for applicants applying for residence under the SMC. Two remuneration thresholds. The same number of points will be awarded for both an offer of skilled employment and current skilled employment in New Zealand. Remuneration thresholds are being introduced as an additional means of defining skilled employment. One will be set at the New Zealand median income of $48,859 a year for jobs that are currently considered skilled. Applicants with jobs at ANZSCO skill levels 1, 2 and 3 will only be awarded points for their employment if they are paid at or above NZ$48,859 per year (or NZ$23.49 per hour). The other threshold will be set at 1.5 times the New Zealand median income of $73,299 a year for jobs that are not currently considered skilled but are well paid. Applicants with jobs that are not in ANZSCO skill level 1, 2 or 3 occupations may be assessed as being in skilled employment if they are paid at or above NZ$73,299 per year (or NZ$35.24 per hour). Bonus points will be awarded for remuneration at or above NZ$97,718.00 per year (or NZ$46.98 per hour). Remuneration thresholds will be updated annually based on New Zealand income data. The automatic selection mark for applicants under the SMC was increased from 140 points to 160 in October last year, and the Government has now realigned the points system to put more emphasis on characteristics associated with better outcomes for migrants. More points will be available for skilled work experience and some recognised post graduate qualifications, and points for age will increase for applicants aged 30-39. Points will NO longer be available for qualifications in areas of absolute skills shortage, for employment, work experience and qualifications in Identified Future Growth Areas and close family in New Zealand. Work experience More points will be available for work experience. Points will be awarded for skilled work experience in ANZSCO skill level 1, 2 and 3 occupations. Points will be awarded for skilled New Zealand work experience of 12 months or more. There will be no additional points for work experience of two years or more. Qualifications, age and partner’s qualifications, Points available for recognised level 9 or 10 post-graduate qualifications (Master’s degrees and Doctorates) will increase. Points for people aged 30 – 39 years will increase. Partner’s qualifications will only be awarded points if they are a recognised Bachelor’s level degree or higher or a recognised post-graduate (level 9 or higher) qualification. Points for the following factors will be removed
There are NO changes to the health, character or English language requirements. Note: More detailed information will be available in June 2017. The changes will be implemented in mid-August 2017. A Waikato woman who admitted 284 immigration fraud charges has avoided jailed.
Loraine Anne Jayme, also known as Condor, appeared in the Hamilton District Court today after earlier admitting the charges, which relate to her creating fake jobs and fake companies so 17 Filipinos could get work on farms in New Zealand. Judge Kim Saunders today sentenced Jayme to 11 months and two weeks' home detention. The judge took into account emails given to the court this morning showing evidence of Jayme instructing applicants how to deceive Immigration NZ. "You have been involved in the A to Z in committing fraud to ensure that the temporary work visas were issued to 17 migrant workers from New Zealand," Saunders said. Jayme was supported in court by a number of people, including her husband, Vincent, and other members of the Filipino community. Counsel Roger Laybourn said Jayme was a well respected member of the Filipino community, who describe her as "kind and charitable". "If you look at the facts it makes it almost incomprehensible that Mrs Jayme has somehow found herself in an extensive and complicated fraud case." Laybourn said his client got caught up in the fraud for "altruistic reasons" - she wanted to help people. He disputed Immigration's submission that it was for commercial gain. It was initially to help family and close friends into the country, however, as news of her success in such endeavours spread, many others contacted her asking for assistance. The market rate for such services from immigration consultants was roughly around $15,000 per person, and Jayme was offering a much cheaper fee. While she was not financially motivated, she had benefited to the tune of $38,250. Her original sentencing date in October had to be adjourned because she was pregnant and had been experiencing health difficulties. Her baby, now four months old, was born two months early. Speaking after the sentencing, INZ assistant general manager Peter Devoy said the prosecution was the result of "painstaking work". "The officers involved did a fantastic job in gathering evidence which led to the prosecution. Jayme systematically ripped off vulnerable migrant workers." About 1700 Filipinos are working on dairy farms in New Zealand. He said the offending began when there was a significant downturn in farming conditions with the dairy payout, with job offers "evaporating" or being withdrawn, yet a steady number of Filipino applicants still expected to come to New Zealand. Laybourn said as a result of Jayme's fraud, the migrants have ended up with a better life in New Zealand. Laybourn said it was a case of "incredible complexity", and it took him two months to get his head around the 284 charges. Jayme was also genuinely remorseful and had a positive pre-sentence report. He urged Judge Saunders to hand down a sentence of home detention because of the medical difficulties Jayme and her baby suffered. Jayme's fraud had to be elaborate to convince Immigration officials that the jobs couldn't be filled by Kiwis. The lawyer acting for the Ministry of Business and Employment, Catherine Milnes, said it was not simply about the $38,000 the scheme earned Jayme. Jayme charged 17 Filipinos $2250 - equivalent to 76,000 Filipino pesos - for work visas. The average monthly wage in the Philippines is 9508 pesos. "So the 76,000 pesos was the equivalent of eight months' wages and [some] had to be borrowed at a very high lending rate. This was a fact known by Jayme." She created three fake companies, AJM Farming, Kinvarra Farms and Mathan Farms and then set about creating the fake documentation to go with them, eventually pulling the wool over the eyes of Work and Income and Inland Revenue Department. However, her fraud began to unfold in 2014 when farmers started telling her that the employees weren't as skilled as their CVs purported. She was eventually arrested in October 2015. Sometime after that, Jayme became pregnant. She was due to be sentenced in October 2016, but it was adjourned. Jayme's baby was born two months early in December and spent her first two months in Waikato Hospital's Newborn Intensive Care Unit. Jayme told the Herald she believed Immigration NZ would think the baby was planned. However, it was not in her religion to use contraception. "We were not really planning to have any more kids. But I got pregnant. We're not doing any pregnancy prevention, we [Filipinos] don't do that." Outside court, husband, Vincent told the Herald he was relieved his wife avoided prison. "We are definitely happy." He said their primary concern was for their baby, Karys. "That's the main thing. It's all about the kids, it's not about us, it's not about Loraine. It's always about Karys." Laybourn told awaiting media that his client was "portrayed as a predator with a financial motive". "So I think the satisfying thing is the court did accept that it wasn't primarily commercially motivated. She never disputed the extent of her fraud but she got caught up in a situation where she had huge demand from Filipinos and halfway through the process it got out of control." He believed the sentence was fair. "Because the judge was trying to send a message that this is serious, and it is serious, and I'm really pleased the court sees that home detention is not a soft option. It actually is 24-7, it's a signficiant sentence and she has to contribute to the community with community work." Immigration New Zealand assistant general manager Peter Devoy said today marked the end of an investigation into a complex and serious fraud. "The situation from our point of view is that the victim here is very much the New Zealand citizen. It's the systems that immigration have in place to protect New Zealand, to protect the border, which have been the subject of the offending more so than the 17 victims named in the case." Asked whether the sentence sent a deterrent message, Devoy said it did. "I think it does. The circumstances of the offender need to be taken into account and that's precisely what the judge did. "However the message that was given is that this is severe offending and severe offending that won't be tolerated." |
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