A new visa has been established to bring in skilled labourers for the post-cyclone rebuild
In order to help with the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland floods, the government is putting up a new visa to allow for the entry of specialized employees from other countries.
Immigration Minister Michael Wood stated that in order to support the professionals already present in the nation, "in the short term, we are likely to need experts such as insurance assessors, infrastructure and utilities engineers and technicians, heavy machinery operators, and debris disposal employees."
If you apply successfully, your fees will be reimbursed. The validity of the visas is limited to six months.
Wood, though, opined that this declaration was unlikely to alter the worldwide labour deficit.
As he stated that they understand that visa demand may not be as high as it was in past, but they still know how important it is to do everything to ease the strain on the business.
Once the scope and capabilities required were better understood, the government would consider other programs to bring in more offshore labour, according to Wood.
Immigration New Zealand will expedite the processing of applications, with a target processing time of seven days.
To help expedite the visa application process, Immigration New Zealand will acquire more identification specialists, medical assessors, and other resources.
According to Wood, it was a first step that would open the door to fast-attracting workers.
A longer-term solution was being developed by the government, which might entail extending the new visa or facilitating an easier transition to other visas.
We think that this tool's ease of use and speed will help get workers here.
Wood is also looking for input on how to reassign personnel from Recognized Seasonal Employers to aid in the recovery.
He hoped that New Zealanders who lost their employment due to the cyclone's interruption would be interested in helping with the cleanup because it was too early to predict the size of the personnel needed.
He agreed that finding housing for foreign-born workers would be challenging.
Agencies have already started looking for new housing choices for both the new hires and individuals who have lost their houses in the hardest-hit areas.
In order to respond to the earthquakes in Christchurch and Kaikoura, similar visa processes were followed.
"Employers were able to access labour through conventional immigration processes during the Kaikoura earthquake," a representative for Wood's office told RNZ. A Special Purpose Work Visa is needed for the purpose which covers working on an emergency response.
A temporary list of occupations with a scarcity that was needed for the rebuild in Canterbury highlighted such occupations and simplified the issuance of work permits for those positions.
The National Party has urged the government to relax immigration regulations by adding employees to the Green List for residency, granting more Special Purpose Work Visas, and abandoning plans to raise the median income criterion, among other measures.
