6/1/2017 Heartland Immigration News May Our Work

Transcription

1 Our Work The Heartland Immigration team have been busy answering inquiries since the Minister of Immigration, Michael Woodhouse, announced new immigration measures for residence which include: a Work to Residence option, the South Island Contribution Visa, for long term work visa holders and their families living in the South Island; and amending the Skilled Migrant policy by extending the definition of what is deemed Skilled and linking wage and salary rates to this definition The Minister also signaled possible future changes to Work Visa policy. It is likely that any changes will put even more focus on employers recruiting ers first, ensuring migrants are paid competitive pay rates and limiting the duration of visas. Those of you based in the South Island will be the winners, with a wonderful one off opportunity to apply for residence. However, we expect this pathway will be challenging and will not be "an easy option." Remember, we are here to help so phone us now if you have a query. We will keep you updated with the changes once more information is made available. Apart from responding to the Minister's announcement, the Heartland team had the opportunity to mix with the farming community at the South Island Agricultural Field Days event which was held in Kirwee at the end of March. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to get my redband gumboots dirty and talk to our rural clients about their successes and challenges. I was impressed with the event management and amazed at the advances in farming machinery and technology. 1/5

2 This month Appley Boyd discusses rates of pay, Jeremy Clapp provides more information on the field days event and Nils Macfarlane sets out his views on farming vacancies. Kind regards Mary Noonan Disclaimer: Mary Noonan manages Heartland Immigration Ltd and her views, expressed in this article, are not intended to replace the professional service provided to individual migrants by a Licensed s RATES OF PAY IN NEW ZEALAND One of the most important pieces of employment legislation in is the Minimum Wage Act On 1 April 2017 the minimum wage for an adult increased to $15.75 per hour. The minimum wage is set by the Government and reviewed annually. Employees must be paid at least the minimum hourly wage rate for every hour worked. When assessing an Essential Skills Work Visa, Immigration will check to ensure that you are getting paid at least the minimum wage. In order to obtain an Essential Skills Work Visa, your potential employer must have a good record of compliance with immigration, employment and health & safety laws. Immigration will also check to ensure that you are receiving the market rate. The market rate is basically the average rate of pay that a person working in the role would normally receive. Immigration refers to market rate information from a number of sources including Industry Training Organisations (ITO), unions, industry bodies like Federated Farmers, recruitment companies and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Occupation Outlook tool. If Immigration considers that you are being offered less than the market rate for a role, then your application may be declined. This policy is in place to protect overseas workers from potential exploitation from employers as well as to ensure that the wages of workers are not undermined. If you have a concern about your current rate of pay, then you can contact 2/5

3 MBIE on If you have any questions about your employment conditions or the market rate for your role, please contact us. Jeremy at the Kirwee Field Days SIAFD 2017 The aim of SIAFD is to showcase agricultural products and services to those in the agricultural industry. The agricultural industry has a truly amazing reputation for its product development and innovation. I enjoyed being able to view developments and innovations which allows to be a world leader. One of these was Canterbury company Taege Engineering who won the SIAFD Agri Innovation Award for their power disc system. The power disc system was designed so their drills can create tilth and slots in the soil. Farm Trader conducted a Top Tractor Shoot Out. The child in me came out watching the different brands being put through a series of tests. Luckily SIAFD had plenty of tractors for me to pretend drive! Apart from pretending to drive tractors, it was nice to spend some time in my home district. SIAFD was also a great opportunity for me to understand the current skills the industry cannot fill with workers. Nils talks about farming vacancies Industry commentators have recently voiced concern about the availability of suitable Assistant Herd Managers to fill all the current vacancies in The actual people who milk the cows particularly when last year Immigration New Zealand (INZ) removed this occupation from the Immediate Skill Shortage List making it more difficult to fill vacancies with folk from overseas. Campaigns encouraging the rural lifestyle along with training program s and improved working conditions have had some success in reducing the reliance 3/5

4 on overseas recruitment but it hasn t eliminated this need altogether. I work with farming employers and employees and will gladly work with you to make a case for overseas recruitment. Whether it be for an existing work visa holder to work for another season or a vacancy which needs to be filled by an overseas worker, I am here to help. Work life balance Whether you are starting to see the signs of summer or in the Southern Hemisphere winter is taking hold, a good cost free option to improve your quality of life is walking. Walking lowers disease risk Walking boosts vitamin D Walking gives you energy Walking makes you happy Appley Boyd IAA License No Jeremy Clapp IAA License No Nils Macfarlane IAA License No /5

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