NZ government to grant itself stronger visa law powers for 12 months

Brian from New Lynn

The government is temporarily amending immigration law to make it more flexible and responsive to challenges posed by Covid-19.
It will introduce a bill to Parliament on Tuesday, to support more "efficient management" of visa changes.
The bill introduces eight time-limited powers allowing it to:
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• Impose, vary or cancel conditions for classes of temporary-entry visa holders
• Vary or cancel conditions for classes of resident-class visa holders
• Extend the expiry dates of visas for classes of people
• Grant visas to individuals and classes of people in the absence of an application
• Waive any regulatory requirements for certain classes of application
• Waive the requirement to obtain a transit visa
• Suspend the ability to make applications for visas or submit expressions of interest in applying for visas by classes of people
• Revoke the entry permission of people who arrive either on private aircraft or marine vessels (to align them with people who arrive on commercial flights, who can already be refused entry)
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