Thursday, 26 September 2024 11:55

Visa changes bring fresh woes

Written by  Andrew Olsen
Andrew Olsen Andrew Olsen

Rural Contractors NZ says members are frustrated at having to work through more layers to get visas approved for skilled seasonal machinery operators ahead of the imminent season start. Andrew Olsen comments.

I have been seeing a significant increase in my members asking for assistance of late.

While I try to help, dealing with the daily influx of confused and disgruntled rural contractors asking for help is wearing a bit thin.

We are not an immigration advisory service but we sure feel like we’re paying a price for the lengthy checking and processing times.

I had hoped the second year of the accreditation requirements would have been smoother but it’s not what we’re seeing. We have NZ employers applying for re – accreditation and time frames for this have blown out meaning further delays in being eligible to apply for visas.

Add then the average approval time for the AEWV has blown out from two months to four months and it’s plain to see the temperature rising amongst our members.

The vast majority of businesses can’t afford an Immigration advisor to navigate the complexity of accreditation or visa applications – the AEWV in particular – so there’s a lot of hit and more miss than the previous year.


Read More


I do acknowledge that in response to lobbying Immigration NZ officials and the Government, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford had announced rural contractors could use the Special Purpose or Event class of visa (SPEV).

This had become the ‘go to’ option for members who had not already invested in the AEWV and did not have accreditation. However, in mid- August MBIE advised the SPEV visa was now the SPWV visa (Specific Purpose Working Visa).

This had come with additional conditions including a need to advertise a role for which he says there were no trained and available Kiwi workers. However, around 80% of applications were approved in three weeks and feedback from members indicate the SPWV is currently the preferred visa class.

In discussions the Immigration Minister has emphasised this visa class is a temporary measure prior to the overhaul of the AEWV by Immigration NZ to be in place for rural contractors (and others) to hire overseas labour next season.

The Government has also acknowledged there is a case for looking closely at what a seasonal worker visa looks like.

In our case, many of these workers will return several years in a row, already have a NZ bank account, IRD number and an accredited employer backing their visa so wouldn’t it make sense to design a visa around that?

This is an opportunity for the Government to take pressure off and allow Ag NZ to get on with the business of doubling exports.

The Government must also consider immigration policy changes alongside its review of vocational training. For our members the career pathway is a shambles and we foresee a significant reliance on skilled overseas workers in the mid-term and until vocational education training sorts itself out.

Future training must be focused on providing specific, short courses (micro-credentials) which give the trainee business-relevant new skills.

Rural contractors don’t support having to send workers to polytechnics for training for weeks and months on end. They want their workers to be able to pick up micro-credentials on the job and build these if they wish into a qualification.

Andrew Olsen is Rural Contractors NZ chief executive officer.

More like this

Visa scheme slammed

Former Federated Farmers immigration spokesman and Waikato farmer Chris Lewis is questioning Immigration New Zealand's (INZ) accredited employer scheme.

Visa delay furore

Dairy farmers claim they're often waiting six months for decisions on visa applications for overseas farm workers.

Featured

Working together, leading change

A group of Canterbury farmers who work together exploring the various uses of liquid injection systems on their seed drills was the worthy winner of the Working Together Award at the recent 2024 Arable Awards, says the group’s FAR Facilitator.

AR37 scientist scoops award

A scientist instrumental in the development and commercialisation of the novel endophyte AR37 scooped the Ballance Agri-Nutrients Science and Research Award at Beef + Lamb NZ Awards last night.

Editorial: Smithfield closure just the start?

OPINION: Rural New Zealand has been taking some very big hits of late. The latest of these, the closure of Alliance’s Smithfield plant at Timaru, is yet another blow for the heartland – the engine room of the economy.

National

A leader among CEOs

Richard Burke, a leading CEO in the primary sector, has departed from a company he's played a huge part in…

Ideal weather for growers

Specialist horticulture and viticulture weather forecasters Metris are reporting near ideal spring start conditions for fruit growers this season.

LIC ready for challenges ahead

Herd improvement company LIC says it's well-positioned for the challenges ahead and remains focused on its core purpose - delivering…

Machinery & Products

Can-Am pushes the boundaries

Can-Am is pushing the boundaries of performance in its Outlander line-up of ATVs with the launch of the new 850…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Trump tariffs

OPINION: Former politicians seem incapable of staying away from the limelight after they retire.

Air Miles

OPINION: The latest travel receipts for MPs are in (April – June 2024).

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter