New Zealand reopens its borders to travelers from all countries

As Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced last May, New Zealand fully reopened its borders on Sunday, July 31 at 11:59pm. Reports New Zealand Herald. Since March 2020, the country has remained partially closed to foreigners.

The gradual reopening of New Zealand’s borders was first announced in February 2022 and began at the same time. Vaccinated Australians were the first to be able to re-enter the country. Since May, tourists from about fifty countries – those who did not need a visa to go there – were able to enter the territory, mention it BBC.

From now on, the country is open to all foreign travelers. “We are ready to welcome back international visitors from all over the world”, announced Stuart Nash, Minister of Tourism. Most visitors will be required to fully vaccinate, but will no longer have to self-isolate upon arrival.

“[Cette annonce] Brings more safety for airlines and cruise operators who plan to return to New Zealand during the high season [touristique]And theJacinda Ardern confirms. Since August 1, all ships are also allowed to frequent the country’s ports.

Required sectors: TTourism, work and education…

In anticipation of the reopening, Prime Minister Jacinda Adern announced a series of changes to the country’s immigration policy. The goal is to fill labor shortages in industries such as health, engineering, commerce, and technology.

He explains that the government plans to revive the economy, which was hit hard during the pandemic thanks to foreign workers New Zealand Herald. If you want to come and work in the archipelago, you can settle.”Work visa for approved employers,Set up on July 4th, the journal sets out.

Concretely, the changes include:

• Speed ​​up the administrative process
• visa extension for “About 20,000 immigrants are already in New Zealand” To ensure that skilled foreign workers remain in place
• Create a “green list” of 85 hard-to-fill occupations: If you come to work in one of these occupations, you can now apply for residency as soon as you arrive or two years later.

The doors are also wide open for foreign students. “Before the pandemic, the international education sector was worth several billion dollars to our country and the institutions involved. […] Full Resume for Visa Processing [étudiant] It is very good news for our universities,” says Michael Wood, Minister of Immigration.