When assistance isn’t really helpful

In July 2022 all the district health boards within the public health system in New Zealand, merged to become part of Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand.   These changes coincided with extensive changes within Immigration New Zealand including the introduction of the Accredited Employer Work Visa, the creation of the Green List and the introduction of new residence pathways.  The changes within Immigration required more involvement on the part of employers, including Health NZ, wishing to hire from overseas.

To support the new system Health New Zealand now offers migration assistance to potential recruits.  It is important to understand that Health New Zealand does not manage the visa application on your behalf.  What does this mean?  In practice, this involves Immigration New Zealand providing you with an email listing a series of links on how to apply.  A simple Google search of Immigration New Zealand would provide you with the same information.  The RealMe account which applicants are required to create to lodge a visa application is not user friendly.  Many people fail at this very first hurdle.  Health New Zealand will not prepare the visa application for you.  They will not assist you to obtain the necessary documents and they will not assist with the uploading of documents.  They will not edit your photo to ensure it meets the parameters (a strangely difficult task even for those with great photoshop skills).  They won’t provide you with a series of questions for your doctor or specialist (if you have a health issue) to ensure you have provided enough information to meet the health requirements for a visa.   They will not check over your partnership documents to ensure you have provided enough evidence and they will not appeal a visa refusal. To date, we have spent a considerable amount of time assisting recruits who are supposedly utilizing Health New Zealand’s assistance.

 

In theory the Immigration assistance provided by Health New Zealand is a fantastic service.  The reality is quite different. At GHS we ensure that you are visa ready before you even sign a job offer and we will support you through every practical step of the process.  At GHS our migration assistance is comprehensive and tailored to your specific circumstances.  We manage your visa application from start to finish.