New Zealanders to get easier path to Australian residency visa

New Zealanders on temporary visas will be given an easier path to permanent residency in Australia.

Scott Morrison will fly to New Zealand this weekend for talks with Jacinda Ardern. Picture: AAP

New Zealanders on temporary visas will be given an easier path to permanent residency in Australia.

From July 1, the Morrison government will amend the New Zealand pathway scheme to allow temporary visa holders greater flexibility to meet residency income thresholds if their work was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

New Zealanders on temporary arrangements who had to spend time offshore due to Covid-19 will also not be penalised by the Department of Home Affairs for leaving the country.

The visa changes come days before Scott Morrison prepares to fly to Queenstown this weekend to meet with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said on Monday the changes reflected the closeness of the Australian-New Zealand relationship, marked by the fact the two countries now have a world-first pandemic travel bubble between them.

“This announcement enhances the pathway to permanent residence in Australia for our Kiwi cousins and reflects the special bilateral relationship between our two countries,” Mr Hawke said.

“We are also applying some flexibility in assessing eligibility for the pathway for people impacted by the pandemic.”

New Zealanders who have lived continuously in Australia for five years since 2016 are eligible for the pathway to permanent residency scheme.

Immigrants who hold a skilled independent (Subclass 189) visa will have to prove they have met an income threshold of $53,900 for three out of the five years they lived in Australia — a reduction from the previous requirement to prove income for four years.