Essential Skills Change
29/11/2015
From 1 November 2015, employers can approach Work and Income for help finding New Zealanders to fill vacancies before supporting a migrant’s Essential Skills work visa application. As a result of engaging with Work and Income the employer will be given a Skills Match Report (SMR) if they decide to support a migrant’s Essential Skills work visa application outlining that:
· Work and Income have no suitable candidates, or
· The employer believes the candidates put forward by Work and Income are not suitable.
A SMR is prepared by Work and Income and contains information about whether there are suitable New Zealanders available to fill a specific vacancy. The report also outlines any engagement an employer has with Work and Income while trying to fill the vacancy, for example if the employer considered any New Zealanders put forward. If an employer engages with Work and Income but ultimately chooses to hire a migrant who needs an Essential Skills work visa, the employer can request a Skills Match Report from Work and Income and give this to the migrant when they apply for their work visa.
The benefits of this new process are as follows:
· Access to Work and Income support and candidate details: Instead of simply being told that Work and Income has suitable candidates, employers will be put in contact with those who are suitable for the role. If appropriate, Work and Income will also discuss additional support they can provide.
· Certainty of advice: INZ must obtain Work and Income advice when assessing low-skilled Essential Skills work visa applications. By engaging with Work and Income upfront, employers receive more transparent advice and will know in advance whether Work and Income agree there are no suitable New Zealanders available.
· Faster visa processing: Including Work and Income advice with the visa application removes a step from the visa assessment process, making it faster and more consistent. There is less chance INZ will need to raise concerns that an employer or visa applicant are not already aware of, therefore decreasing the time it can take to resolve those issues.
For more information, please refer to the below:
· Questions and Answers: http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/general/generalinformation/qanda/skillsmatchreports.htm
· Employer guide: http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/66742838-6F01-43B6-9662-E3F109C47B15/0/EssentialSkillsEmployerGuide.pdf
· Help with using ANZSCO: http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/general/generalinformation/anzsco.htm
If you have any questions, please send these to: EssentialSkillsFeedback@mbie.govt.nz
