VisaLegal

Name: VisaLegal
Address: Hamilton, NZ
Telephone: +64272895249

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Licensed Immigration Advisers 🇳🇿✨ We are a dynamic team with 3 Full Licensed Advisers. Our LIAs speak English and Spanish.

We have combined industry experience of over 25 years and specialise in skilled residence and work visas and family visas. To book an appointment with our Licensed Immigration Advisers please follow the link - http://tinyurl.com/VisaLegalCita

10/11/2026

Are you on track with your plans to apply for residence in New Zealand? Talk to one of our Licensed Advisers to find out. Send us an email to [email protected]

05/11/2026

🎄☀️ Planning a family reunion in New Zealand this Christmas?

In New Zealand, we celebrate Christmas under the beautiful summer sun (well, most years!), surrounded by the vibrant red flowers of our iconic Christmas tree, the pōhutukawa.

It's a special time of year to bring loved ones together. Whether it's parents visiting their grandchildren, partners reuniting or friends coming to enjoy a Kiwi summer, there's nothing quite like spending the holidays together. ❤️

But summer is also one of the busiest times for Immigration New Zealand (INZ).

Last summer, INZ received around 284,000 Visitor Visa applications between September and March. With Christmas 2026 and summer 2027 approaching, INZ is encouraging people to apply as early as possible.

✈️ What are the visa options for visiting family and friends?

➡️ General Visitor Visa: Stay for up to 9 months, depending on the visa granted. Ideal for visiting family, friends or exploring New Zealand.

➡️ Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa: A 3-year multiple-entry visa allowing visits of up to 6 months at a time, with a maximum of 18 months over 3 years.

➡️ Partner Visitor Visa: For those wanting to join their partner in New Zealand. You'll need evidence of a genuine and stable relationship, including having lived together.

🌏 Not everyone needs to apply for a Visitor Visa. Depending on their passport, some travellers may be eligible to visit using an NZeTA instead.

Regardless of the visa option, applicants must meet the relevant requirements, including showing genuine intentions to visit, sufficient funds or acceptable sponsorship, and plans to leave New Zealand.

🎁 The best Christmas gift is having your loved ones here with you.

If you're hoping to reunite with family or friends this summer, now is the time to get organised.

📩 Contact us at [email protected] and we'll help you work out the right visa option.

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03/11/2026

Are you planning to study in New Zealand and bring your partner with you?

If your partner is hoping to work while you study, it’s worth checking their visa options before you enrol.

The programme you choose can make a difference. If you’re coming to study towards a master’s degree, a doctorate or an eligible Level 7 or 8 qualification, your partner may be able to apply for a Partner of a Student Work Visa.

Eligibility depends on the specific programme and whether your partner meets the requirements for their own application.

Already have a programme in mind? Tell us what you’d like to study and what you’re planning together.

At VisaLegal, we support you from choosing your programme through to submitting your Student Visa application.

We’ll help you compare study options based on your goals and understand what each programme could mean for your plans as a couple, so you can make an informed decision before you enrol.

📅 Book your free consultation here: https://tinyurl.com/VisaLegalStudy
📩 Or email us at [email protected].

03/11/2026

From 8 March 2027, 17 occupations will be removed from the Green List Work to Residence pathway.

This does not mean these occupations will no longer have a pathway to residence. Alternative pathways already exist under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC).

Who will actually be affected?

In many cases, the impact will be limited.

For example, for Welders, Metal Fabricators and Fitters, the Green List requires 1.3× the wage threshold. Under the SMC, there are already other options:

• Trades and Technician: A relevant Level 4 qualification and 4 years of post-qualification experience, including 18 months in NZ earning at least 1× the applicable wage threshold.

• Skilled Work Experience: 5 years of relevant experience, including 2 years in NZ earning at least 1.1× the applicable wage threshold. No formal qualification required.

However, some workers could be disadvantaged.

A Motor Mechanic can currently meet the Green List requirements through an NZTA appointment as a Vehicle Inspector (WoF/CoF), without holding the specified Level 4 qualification. This appointment does not replace the Level 4 qualification required under SMC Trades and Technician.

Already accumulating experience for Work to Residence?

If you started accumulating qualifying experience before 8 March 2027, you can continue counting qualifying work towards the 24-month requirement, provided you meet the other requirements.

THE 17 AFFECTED OCCUPATIONS

Included on the SMC Trades and Technician list (may also qualify under Skilled Work Experience):

▪️ Building Associate (Building Construction Supervisor)
▪️ Automotive Electrician
▪️ Diesel Motor Mechanic (including Heavy Vehicle Inspector)
▪️ Motor Mechanic (General)
▪️ Motorcycle Mechanic
▪️ Panel Be**er
▪️ Vehicle Painter
▪️ Metal Fabricator
▪️ Welder
▪️ Fitter (General)
▪️ Fitter and Turner
▪️ Fitter-Welder
▪️ Metal Machinist (First Class)

Have an alternative pathway under SMC Skilled Work Experience:

▪️ Crane, Hoist or Lift Operator
▪️ Telecommunications Technician
▪️ Paving Plant Operator
▪️ Pressure Welder

Other changes: Four special education teaching occupations will move to Straight to Residence; new requirements will apply to Sterilisation Technicians; and Career Counsellor will be removed from Tier 1.

Certain Green List benefits for AEWV applications will also be removed.

The key is understanding whether you already meet the SMC requirements or whether you would benefit from retaining your Green List pathway.

At VisaLegal, we can review your residence options. Email us at [email protected] or book an appointment with one of our Licensed Advisers at this link: https://tinyurl.com/VL30minZOOM

27/10/2026

Thank you for choosing VisaLegal and for trusting us to be part of your journey! Your success is our greatest reward. 🫶

27/10/2026

Preparing a Student Visa application for New Zealand?

From today, 27 October 2026, Immigration New Zealand is introducing changes worth checking before you apply:

▪ Work rights for research master’s students
Research master’s students applying for a visa from today will no longer receive unlimited work rights. Standard master’s conditions will apply: up to 25 hours a week during study and full-time during holidays.

▪ Visa validity after your course
Visas that would normally expire one month after the course ends will instead allow two months. Visas that would normally expire on 31 March are unchanged.

▪ Evidence of English language ability
INZ may request evidence, such as an approved English language test, if it has concerns about whether your English is suitable for your proposed study. This does not mean every applicant must provide a test.

▪ Visa processing
INZ may suspend visa processing while potential non-compliance by an education provider is being investigated.

Your study plans are individual to you. If you have questions about what these changes could mean for your application, talk to our team at VisaLegal.

Book an initial conversation: https://tinyurl.com/VisaLegalStudy
Or email [email protected].

22/10/2026

⚡ EWRB REGISTERED & LICENSED? NZ RESIDENCE COULD BE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK! 🇳🇿

Do you hold EWRB Registration and a current Practising Licence?
Have you worked in an ANZSCO Skill Level 1–3 role for at least 2 years since obtaining your registration and licence?

You may be approaching eligibility to apply for New Zealand residence under the Skilled Migrant Category!

Your occupation, employment and skilled work experience will need to meet Immigration New Zealand requirements, so it’s important to check exactly what experience can count.

📩 Get in touch with VisaLegal ASAP to have your eligibility and skilled work experience assessed.

You may already be well on your way to meeting the requirements for residence. ⚡🇳🇿

21/10/2026

You’ve chosen what to study in New Zealand.

Now it’s time to understand what you need to take that next step.

From the programme and institution’s entry requirements to your Student Visa application and any work rights you may be eligible for, there are details worth checking before you commit to a course.

If exploring residence options is also part of your plans, our Licensed Immigration Advisers can assess how your proposed studies relate to those goals and what other requirements you would need to meet. Studying in New Zealand does not guarantee residence.

At VisaLegal, we take the time to understand your circumstances and what you want to achieve. We work through your options with you, prepare and submit your visa application, and support you throughout the process and after approval.

Let’s talk about your plans. Book a free initial conversation.

📅 Book here: https://tinyurl.com/VisaLegalStudy
📩 [email protected]

20/10/2026

WEBINAR GRATUITO EN ESPAÑOL

📅 Miércoles 28 de octubre – Latinoamérica
🇨🇱 Chile: 8:30 pm | 🇦🇷 Argentina: 8:30 pm
🇨🇴 Colombia: 6:30 pm | 🇵🇪 Perú: 6:30 pm
🇲🇽 Ciudad de México: aprox. 5:30 pm

🇳🇿 Nueva Zelanda: jueves 29 de octubre, 12:30 pm
Regístrate gratuitamente aquí 👉 https://tinyurl.com/VisaLegalWebinar2026

Si tu plan era venir a Nueva Zelanda con una Working Holiday y no lograste obtenerla, probablemente ahora te estés preguntando qué otras alternativas podrías tener.

En este webinar gratuito, Melanie Bradley y Adriana, Licensed Immigration Advisers de VisaLegal, conversarán sobre otras posibles vías para venir a Nueva Zelanda y qué factores deberías considerar antes de decidir cuál podría ajustarse mejor a tus circunstancias.

Hablaremos, entre otros temas, de:
- Qué otras opciones pueden existir además de la Working Holiday.
- Cuándo estudiar en Nueva Zelanda podría ser una alternativa a considerar.
- Qué papel puede tener una oferta de trabajo y qué debes tener en cuenta.
- Cómo tus estudios, experiencia laboral y planes a futuro pueden influir en tus opciones.

Por qué es importante pensar no solo en cómo llegar a Nueva Zelanda, sino también en tus objetivos a más largo plazo.

También tendremos un espacio para responder algunas de las preguntas más frecuentes que estamos recibiendo de personas que no consiguieron su Working Holiday.

Nos vemos pronto!

19/10/2026

🇳🇿 If you applied for your visa before 29 September 2023, what wage do you need to meet when applying for Green List Work to Residence?

There is an exemption for certain applicants who gained qualifying work experience while holding a visa they applied for before 29 September 2023. Where their Tier 2 Green List occupation does not have a specific remuneration requirement, that work can count towards residence even if it was paid below the median wage threshold.

When this pathway was first introduced, there was no general income requirement, except where a wage was specified for a particular occupation. This exemption preserves the pathway to residence for people who had applied for their visas before those requirements changed.

👷 This includes dairy managers, halal slaughterers, automotive electricians and mechanics, electricians, plumbers, gasfitters, drainlayers, corrections officers, and certain teaching roles, including registered early childhood teachers.

📋 Until recently, there has been some difficulty understanding what wage these applicants need to meet when they apply for residence. Amendment Circular 2026-29, issued on 7 October 2026, clarifies that there are two options:

➡️ If an applicant met the median wage when they started counting their qualifying work experience, and continued to meet that rate throughout the period claimed, they can rely on that earlier rate when applying for residence, provided it falls within the applicable 30-month look-back period.

➡️ Alternatively, they can count qualifying work experience without meeting a wage requirement for that period, provided their current employment or offer of employment meets the median wage in effect when they submit their residence application. This is currently $35 per hour.

⏳ The look-back period is important. Applicants cannot simply rely on whichever median wage applied when they first started working. Someone who started on the previous median wage of $29.66 cannot continue to use that rate, because it falls outside the 30-month look-back period.

📅 The $31.61 rate still falls within that window and can potentially be relied on if the applicant’s ITA is issued on or before 17 February 2028—the same day they submit their EOI.

📌 The exemption does not apply to occupations with their own specific remuneration requirements. Applicants must also meet the remaining residence requirements, including completing 24 months of qualifying work within the applicable 30-month period.

📧 If you are trying to understand your residence options under Work to Residence, contact [email protected] to get in touch with one of our Licensed Immigration Advisers.

Address

Hamilton

Telephone

+64272895249

Website

https://visalegal.co.nz/links/, https://www.google.com/maps/place/VisaLegal/@-35.2643897,-45,4z/data=!4m8!3m7!1s0x8f6e16

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