Author Archives: Simon Laurent, Lawyer

About Simon Laurent, Lawyer

Principal of LaurentLaw Barristers & Solicitors. NZ immigration law specialist.

The US Supreme Court and NZ Visas

Posted on July 6, 2022 by Simon Laurent, Lawyer

The number of enquiries to Immigration NZ’s website from the US has quadrupled in the last couple of weeks. This follows the Supreme Court decision of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organisation (24 June 2022) which overruled Roe v Wade … Continue reading →

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Engineering an Elite Migrant Workforce

Posted on May 25, 2022 by Simon Laurent, Lawyer

The Government is shifting many levers in what it calls the Immigration Reset. A lot of what has now been put in place, and what is to come, clearly has the objective of wiping out what is perceived as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Immigration Industry, Immigration Problems, Immigration Visas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

First Look at Accredited Employer Work Visa Rules

Posted on April 13, 2022 by Simon Laurent, Lawyer

Immigration New Zealand has just released its Instructions about how companies apply for Accreditation to the immigration industry. They look challenging. It is the culmination of a long-running saga. Three years ago in early 2019 I wrote a blog about … Continue reading →

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Including Family in 2021 Resident Visa

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Simon Laurent, Lawyer

Phase 2 of the one-time 2021 Resident Visa scheme (“2021 RV”) begins today, Tuesday, 1 March, for most people. About 100,000 eligible Work Visa holders are expected to apply. The sheer volume of cases will amplify an aspect of Immigration … Continue reading →

Posted in 2021 Resident Visa, Immigration Appeals, Immigration Industry, Immigration Problems, Immigration Visas, residence | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Fine Detail of the 2021 Resident Visa

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Simon Laurent, Lawyer

The “one time” Resident Visa announced in September 2021 is underway. The first batch of applications opened on 1 December. mostly aimed at people who have a Skilled Migrant Residence case in the queue. About 15% of those applications have … Continue reading →

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Insights into the 2021 Resident Visa

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Simon Laurent, Lawyer

After announcing a sweeping “one time” Resident Visa for people on Work Visas at the end of September 2021, Immigration New Zealand has now published the detailed policy. This contains some interesting features, but not all the answers. Aims of … Continue reading →

Posted in 2021 Resident Visa, Immigration Appeals, Immigration Industry, Immigration Problems, Immigration Visas, residence | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Please, How Can I Help My Family?

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Simon Laurent, Lawyer

We get this question a lot. In particular, we field requests from New Zealand Residents or Citizens about how to bring their relatives to NZ from the home country. We often have to say that there is nothing to be … Continue reading →

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A Ban is a Ban – Unless it’s Not

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Simon Laurent, Lawyer

There is a nasty little rule in the Immigration Act , which has given a lot of people grief and trouble in the past. It says that you cannot be granted a visa if you have “at any time, been … Continue reading →

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Can Immigration Search Your Phone?

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Simon Laurent, Lawyer

This is an issue of data privacy and fishing expeditions by officials. The message is “be careful, and know your rights”. Our firm has been doing Partner visa applications for a long time. The couple needs to show that they … Continue reading →

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Here It Comes – the New Work Visa Regime

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Simon Laurent, Lawyer

Way back in February 2019 we alerted people to Immigration’s plans to overhaul employer-assisted Work Visa policy. The essential features of the scheme were laid out by Sahar Shamia in a more recent blog in February this year. On 7 … Continue reading →

Posted in Immigration Visas | 2 Comments