3 Reasons to Apply for a Temporary Visa Instead of the 2021 Interim Visa
If you’re applying for the 2021 Resident Visa, you have two options for obtaining another visa when your current one expires:
Automatically be granted a 2021 Interim Visa
Apply for a further work visa
In this post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know so you can choose the right option for you.
What is the 2021 Interim Visa?
The 2021 Interim Visa is a one-off interim visa for people applying for the 2021 Resident Visa whose visa is due to expire while their residence application is being processed. This means you avoid having to apply for another temporary visa (or multiple visas, if you are applying as a family) and pay the associated fees.
So long as you’ve submitted a 2021 Resident Visa application, you’ll be granted a 2021 Interim Visa seven days before your current visa expires. You don’t need to do anything.
It’s an innovative policy because interim visas are normally meant to be a bridge between two temporary visas, not between temporary and residence.
There are, however, some downsides when compared to a regular temporary visa such as the Essential Skills Work Visa.
Once you have a 2021 Interim Visa you cannot apply for other visas
One of the features of interim visas is that you cannot apply for another type of visa, whether temporary or residence.
What this means is that if you’re going to be relying on the 2021 Interim Visa to cover you while your residence application is being processed, you will have no options if for any reason your application is declined or you decide to withdraw.
Immigration NZ’s advice is that if you think your 2021 Resident Visa might be declined or you may withdraw, you may want to apply for a temporary visa instead.
Your 2021 Interim Visa will only be valid for 12 months
The maximum duration of the 2021 Interim Visa is 12 months. However, if you applied for an Essential Skills Work Visa, you’d get at least 24 months even if your job is paid below the median wage ($27 per hour). This change was made by the New Zealand government in July last year in response to COVID-19.
This means that a large group of people who qualify for the 2021 Resident Visa would also qualify for an Essential Skills Work Visa that is valid for at least twice the duration of the 2021 Interim Visa.
What’s more, two changes were made to Essential Skills Work Visa requirements that make it much easier to apply and faster for Immigration NZ to process:
You don’t need to provide proof of advertising and pass the labour market test (including a Skills Match Report) if you’re applying based on the same job as your current work visa.
You also don’t need to provide medical and police certificates if you’ve previously provided them to Immigration NZ, even if that was more than 3 years ago.
90% of Essential Skills Work Visa applications where these changes apply are completed within 22 days and half are completed within 10 days.
Of course, applying for another visa comes at the cost of the application fee and the time and energy you spend preparing your application.
The application fee for an Essential Skills Work Visa is currently $495.
You’re moving from work to study
The conditions of your 2021 Interim Visa will be the same as the visa you currently hold.
So, if you currently have a work visa but want to begin studying, for example, you must make sure to apply for an appropriate student visa.
Don’t worry, your 2021 Resident Visa application won’t be affected because you only need to have held your eligible visa on two dates: 29 September 2021, and the date you apply.
It’s good to have options
Not having to do anything except apply for the 2021 Resident Visa and be granted a 12-month interim visa is a great initiative by the New Zealand government to make the 2021 Resident Visa more fair to all applicants.
However, sometimes it pays to have options. The decision you need to make is what it’s worth to you to have those options.
Having trouble deciding?
We can connect you to an expert instantly who can help you decide and get the peace of mind you deserve.
