My Biggest INZ Policy Pet Peeves
If you’ve followed my work for a while, you’ll know I’ve never been shy about calling out the messiness of our immigration settings. And while I will admit that since National took over things are starting to make more sense, some of the core issues still remain. So today, I’m sharing my biggest INZ pet peeves, and why they’re quietly derailing lives and businesses.
The Maximum Continuous Stay: A Ticking TimeBomb
Let’s talk about the five-year maximum continuous stay rule.
This one really gets under my skin. It’s a policy that’s creating unnecessary anxiety for migrants who are trying to do the right thing, as well as complete confusion for employers, some who don’t even realise it exists.
I’ve had conversations with families who are now scrambling to plan their futures, caught off guard by this time limit that no one clearly explained. These are people who have built lives here, who contribute to our communities, and now face the very real risk of having to uproot everything simply because they weren’t warned or prepared.
Worse still? Many businesses have no idea this rule exists. They’re relying on these skilled workers and suddenly find out there’s a time bomb ticking beneath their staffing plans.
Visa Condition Variations: Why Is It So Hard to Change Jobs?
Another major pet peeve? The nightmare that is varying a visa.
Right now, people who want to change jobs are having to ask prospective employers to undertake the entire job check process. This not only slows things down, it creates a subtle (but very real) sense of ownership over the worker. It reinforces the imbalance of power and makes it harder for migrants to leave exploitative or unsuitable situations.
Bring back the old employer supplementary form. It wasn’t perfect, but it was so much better than what we’re dealing with now.
Visa Costs: An Invisible Barrier
It’s also time we talk about how expensive it is to keep renewing temporary visas. I’ve seen it firsthand in multiple cases recently, families who are stretched thin trying to stay lawful while waiting on their residence to be processed and have to pay multiple INZ fees in order to comply with the visa requirements. I am talking in the 3-5k mark on INZ fees alone!
How about an interim visa (or at least a reduced fee) for those who have a residence application underway? It’s basic logic: let people stay afloat while they’re playing by the rules.
Bring Back a Sensible Residency Pathway
And lastly—the SMC review. I really hope we go back to something closer to the old Skilled Migrant Category.
It just made sense. There were multiple ways to qualify—working in the regions, recognising offshore experience, and actually reflecting what skilled migration should look like.