Dream of New Zealand

Immigration Online application enhancements

2018-03-31T11:34:00.000+05:30

සබැඳි අමුත්තන් වීසා අයදුම්පත්ර පවුල්වලින් ලබා ගත හැකි අතර මාර්ගගත අයදුම්පත් ඉදිරිපත් කළ හැකි අතර, මාර්ගගත අයදුම්පත්ර ක්රියාවලිය වැඩිදියුණු කිරීම සඳහා වීසා වර්ග වර්ග වැඩි දියුණු කර ඇත.

සංචාරක කණ්ඩායම් සඳහා නරඹන්නන් වීසා වැනි කණ්ඩායම් සංචාරකයන් සඳහා කණ්ඩායම් කණ්ඩායම් ආගන්තුක වීසා සඳහා දැන් ඔබට අයදුම් කළ හැකිය. ශිෂ්යයෙකුගේ භාරකරු ලෙසද ඔබට නරඹන්නන් වීසා බලපත්රයක් සඳහා අයදුම් කළ හැකිය.

නවසීලන්තයේ සංචාරය කරන පවුල්වලට එක් අයදුම් පත්රයක් මත වීසා බලපත්ර වීසා සඳහා අයදුම් කළ හැකිය. කලින් එක් පවුලකට එක් එක් පුද්ගලයා තනි තනිව අයදුම් කිරීමට හෝ කඩදාසි ඉල්ලුම්පතක් ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමට සිදුවිය.

දැන් ඔබට විවිධ යෙදුම් සමූහයක් ලෙස එක් කළ හැකිය. එක් අයදුම්පත් සමූහයක් ඉදිරිපත් කරන විට ඔබ සම්පූර්ණ කණ්ඩායම සඳහා එක් ගෙවීමක් සිදුකරන අතර, අපි අයදුම්පත් එකට අයදුම්පත් සහ සකස් කරමු.

Our online application process has been improved to increase the types of visas that can be applied for online, to allow online visitor visa applications from families, and to allow groups of applications to be submitted together.

You can now apply online for group visitor visas, such as visitor visas for tour groups, or for groups of visiting officials. You can also now apply for a visitor visa as the guardian of a student.

Families visiting New Zealand can now apply for visitor visas together on one application. Previously each member of a family had to apply online individually, or to submit a paper application.

You can also now submit multiple applications together as group. When submitting a group of applications together you make one payment for the entire group, and we will receive and process the applications together.

Apply now

Including family

Group applications

Guardian of a Student Visitor Visa

Skilled Migrant and Essential Skills policy – Changes to remuneration thresholds

2017-12-15T07:36:00.001+05:30

Wednesday, 13 December 2017

Remuneration thresholds in Skilled Migrant and Essential Skills policies will be increasing on 15 January 2018.

In August 2017, changes to the Skilled Migrant and Essential Skills policies were implemented, aimed at:

ensuring we are attracting migrants who bring the most economic benefits to New Zealand and to improve the skill composition of people gaining residence under the Skilled Migrant Category
striking the right balance between ensuring New Zealanders are at the front of the queue for jobs while preserving access to the temporary migrant skills necessary for New Zealand’s continued economic growth.

The changes included introducing remuneration thresholds to both categories, with the aim of improving the assessment of skill and value to New Zealand.

Skilled Migrant and Essential Skills policy details announced

From 15 January 2018, the following changes will occur in the Skilled Migrant Category:

Threshold	Prior to 15 January	From 15 January
Threshold for skilled employment in an occupation at ANZSCO 1-3	$23.49 per hour or above (or the equivalent annual salary)	$24.29 per hour or above (or the equivalent annual salary)
Threshold for skilled employment in an occupation at ANZSCO 4-5, or which is not included in AZNSCO	$35.24 per hour or above (or the equivalent annual salary)	$36.44 per hour or above (or the equivalent annual salary)
Threshold to earn bonus points	$46.98 per hour or above (or the equivalent annual salary)	$48.58 per hour or above (or the equivalent annual salary)

From 15 January 2018, the following changes will occur in Essential Skills work visa category:

Threshold	Prior to 15 January	From 15 January
Threshold for mid-skilled employment in an occupation at ANZSCO 1-3	$19.97 per hour or above (or the equivalent annual salary)	$20.65 per hour or above (or the equivalent annual salary)
Threshold for higher skilled employment in any occupation (including those at ANZSCO 4-5)	$35.24 per hour or above (or the equivalent annual salary)	$36.44 per hour or above (or the equivalent annual salary)

Why are these changes occurring now?

The thresholds are indexed against the New Zealand median income. As previously announced, remuneration requirements are to be updated at the end of each calendar year based on New Zealand income data (which is released in September). This year the changes have been delayed until January to give employers and migrants enough time to adjust to the new thresholds.

What if I am a current Essential Skills work visa holder and my job does not meet the new threshold? What if I’m an employer and one of my staff hold a current visa but their wage does not meet the new threshold?

Visas that people already hold will not be affected. Changes to the income thresholds will not affect the duration or conditions of visas that have already been granted.

A new application made on or after 15 January will be assessed against the new threshold. This may mean the conditions or visa duration of the next visa could be different. For example a chef paid $20 an hour would currently be considered mid-skilled, as the occupation is ANZSCO level 2 and the pay is above the existing threshold of $19.97. However if he applied for a further visa after 15 January he would be considered low skilled, unless his pay increased to above the new threshold of $20.65.

What if I apply or applied for a work visa under Essential Skills before 15 January 2018, but my application is not decided by then? Will Immigration New Zealand assess my skill level based on the old thresholds or the new ones?

If your application was received by INZ before 15 January 2018, the old thresholds will be used to assess your application and determine your visa application.

If I am an employer who has already advertised and prepared to support an Essential Skills work visa, but the person cannot get his application in before 15 January 2018, what happens then?

If an application is received and accepted after 15 January 2018, the new thresholds will apply, even if (for example) the employment agreement has been signed prior to 15 January 2018.

What happens if I was invited to apply for the Skilled Migrant Category under the old thresholds?

The remuneration thresholds against which you will be assessed are the thresholds in place on the date your expression of interest (EOI) was selected from the Pool, if that selection results in an invitation to apply. For example, if your EOI was selected on 10 January 2018 and you were invited to apply on 20 January 2018, the old remuneration thresholds will apply, even though you weren’t invited to apply until after the new thresholds were introduced.

Source - https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/media-centre/news-notifications/smc-essential-skills-changes-to-remuneration-thresholds

Essential Skills in Demand List review 2017

2017-12-15T07:22:00.000+05:30

Friday, 15 December 2017

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has completed its annual review of two of the Essential Skills in Demand (ESID) Lists – the Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) and the Immediate Skill Shortage List (ISSL).

The Ministry regularly reviews the ESID lists to ensure they meet the changing needs of the labour market, and to preserve opportunities for New Zealanders.

If an occupation is on a shortage list, work visa applications for positions in that occupation from suitably qualified and experienced migrants are not subject to an individual labour market test. A labour market test means that an employer must demonstrate that no suitable New Zealanders are available to fill or be trained for each individual position. The lists help provide certainty for employers and potential migrants, and are a useful indicator to potential migrants of skill shortages in New Zealand.

Long Term Skill Shortage List

The LTSSL identifies occupations that have an absolute (sustained and ongoing) shortage of skilled workers both globally and throughout New Zealand. Migrants who gain employment in one of these occupations may be granted a LTSSL Work to Residence or an Essential Skills work visa. Migrants applying for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category may gain bonus points towards their application if they have an offer of employment or work experience in an area of absolute skill shortage identified on the LTSSL.

The outcomes of the review of the LTSSL are to:

Remove five occupations

Anaesthetist
Forest Scientist
Pathologist
Petroleum Engineer
Renal Medicine Specialist

Retain two occupations that were included in the review

Chemical Engineer
Materials Engineer

Submissions to add four occupations (Hairdresser, Motorcycle Mechanic, Registered Nurse (Mental Health), and Sports Coach or Instructor) to the LTSSL have been declined.

Immediate Skill Shortage List

The ISSL identifies occupations that have an immediate shortage of skilled workers either throughout New Zealand or in certain regions. Migrants wishing to work in occupations on the ISSL may be granted work visas under Essential Skills instructions if they meet the specified qualifications and/or experience requirements.

The outcomes of the review of the ISSL are to:

Add 12 occupations

Accountant (General) (a)
Carpenter (b)
Carpenter and Joiner (b)
Fibrous Plasterer (b)
Joiner (b)
Midwife (b)
Motor Mechanic (General) (b)
Panelbeater (b)
Roof Plumber (c)
Roof Tiler (c)
Solid Plasterer (b)
Vehicle Painter (b)

(a) only for the Auckland/Upper North Island, Wellington and Canterbury/Upper South Island regions
(b) for all regions of New Zealand
(c) only for the Auckland/Upper North Island, Waikato/Bay of Plenty, Canterbury/Upper South Island and Otago/Southland regions

Remove five occupations

Dental Technician
Dentist
Medical Laboratory Technician (Phlebotomy and Histology Technicians)
Pharmacy Technician
Poultry Farmer

Retain five occupations that were included in the review

Cardiologist
Ophthalmologist
Metal Casting Trades Worker (Foundry Moulder)
Registered Nurse (Aged Care)
Resident Medical Officer

Submissions to add Hair or Beauty Salon Manager to the ISSL have been declined.

Timing of changes

The ESID List changes will take effect in February 2018. Further work is currently being carried out to review the requirements which migrants need to satisfy to apply for a work visa using the skill shortage lists. This includes a review of qualifications in association with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, and some other changes to ensure that the requirements for using the lists are appropriate for the shortages.

Other immigration options

If an occupation is not on a skill shortage list this does not mean that migrants cannot come to New Zealand. Other immigration options are available for employers and prospective migrants. These include:

Essential Skills Work Visa – subject to an employer demonstrating that they have tried to recruit New Zealanders for the position and been unsuccessful

Essential Skills Work Visa

Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa – facilitating recruitment of skilled workers from overseas where the salary is at least NZ$55,000 per annum. This option provides a pathway to residence.

Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa

Essential Skills - Approval in Principle – where a number of migrants are being sought

Approval in Principle

Skilled Migrant Category – under which migrants can apply for residence in New Zealand

Skilled Migrant Category

The Canterbury Skills and Employment Hub can facilitate employment of New Zealanders in Canterbury, and if there are no suitable applicants, can facilitate visa applications for migrant workers. Also, the Canterbury Skill Shortage List contains some occupations in shortage for the Canterbury rebuild (in addition those on the ISSL and LTSSL).

Canterbury Skills and Employment Hub

Other matters

The Essential Skills in Demand Lists are reviewed and updated regularly to ensure that the Ministry’s policy is flexible and responsive to changing economic and labour market conditions. As part of the reviews, information is gathered from submissions made by external stakeholders and this is considered alongside economic, labour market, immigration and other relevant data. It is important that the lists reflect genuine skill shortages so New Zealanders are not disadvantaged in seeking employment and training. You can test whether an occupation is on any of the shortage lists by using the skill shortage list checker. This provides information and the requirements for each of the lists.

Skill shortage list checker

The Ministry expects to commence the next ESID review in April 2018.

ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවට පැමිණීමට ඔබට ලබා ගත හැකි වීසා කාණ්ඩ මේවායි ..

2017-09-20T15:57:00.003+05:30

ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවට පැමිණීමට සිහින මවන ඔබට ඕස්ට්‍රේලියානු හෝ ස්ථිර පදිංචිය යන ක්‍රම 2න් ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවට පැමිණිය හැකියි.
තාවකාලික වීසා වන්නේ, ශිෂ්‍ය වීසා, කුසලතා සේවකයන් හා working holiday ලාබීන්. ස්ථිර පදිංචිය සදහා ඔබට සංක්‍රමණ වීසා හෝ මානුෂීය වීසා සදහා අයදුම් කල හැකියි. නව සීලන්ත පුරවැසියන්ට ඕස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ ජීවත් වීමට වෙනම නීති මාලාවක් තිබේ.

Chart of temporary visa holders.

ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු සංක්‍රමණ ක්‍රමවේදය ඉතා සංකීර්ණ බැවින් ඒ සදහා බොහෝ දෙනා නීතීඥය හෝ ඒජන්ත සහය පතනවා. ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාව තුල සංක්‍රමණ ඒජන්තවරු 5000ක් සිටිනවා.

Source: Migration: the economic debate (Committee for Economic Development of Australia)

1.අන්තර්ජාතික ශිෂ්‍ය වීසා

subclass 500 - පුර්ණ කාලිකව පිළිගත් අද්යාපන ආයතනයක ඉගෙනුම සදහා
subclass 590 - ශිෂ්‍යා අවුරුදු 18 අඩු නම්, භාරකරු වීසා . මෙම භාරකරු වයස 21ට වැඩි විය යුතු අතර දෙමාපියන් හෝ නීත්‍යානුකුල භාරකරු විය යුතුයි
Training visa (subclass 407).- ඔබට ආයතනික පුහුණුව අවශ්‍ය නම් මේ වීසා කාණ්ඩය ලබා ගන්න
subclass 485 - අධ්‍යාපනය හමාර කොට රැකියා පුහුණුව අවශ්‍ය විට graduate වීසා නම් වීසා කාණ්ඩය ලබා ගන්න

2.තාවකාලික කුසලතා වීසා

සාමාන්‍ය කුසලතා වීසා, තෙල් හා ගෑස් කර්මාන්තයේ වීසා, ව්‍යාපාරික වීසා කාණ්ඩ මෙයට අයත් වේ .
වඩා ජනප්‍රිය 457 රැකියා වීසා එක වසර 2018 මාර්තු සිට අහෝසි වන අතර ඒ වෙනුවට emporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa. නම් වීසා එක හඳුන්වා දේ. එම නව ක්‍රමය වසර 2ක වීසා එකක් වන අතර එය වසර 4 දක්වා දික් කර ගැනීමේ ක්‍රමයක් ද ඇත. එමගින් ඉක්මනින් ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාව තුල ශ්‍රමිකයය්න් සොයා ගත නොහැකි අවස්ථා වෙනුවෙන් විදේශිකයන් ගෙන්වා ගැනීම සිදුවේ. මෙම නව වීසා එක දැනට 457 වීසා එක තුල සිටින ශ්‍රමිකයන් ට ද බලපායී. 2017 අප්‍රේල් 18ට පෙර 457 වීසා සදහා අයදුම් කල හෝ ඉල්ලුම් කල රැකියාව ලැයිස්තුවෙන් ඉවත් කල පුද්ගලයන්ට ඔවුන් ගෙවූ ගාස්තුව නැවත ලබා ගැනීමට අවස්තාව ලැබේ.

3. Working Holiday වීසා

උපකාන්ඩ 417 වන මෙය සංචාරකයන්ට සංස්කෘතිකමය හුවමාරුවක් සදහා අවස්තාවක් ලබා දීමක්. වයස 18-30 ත් අතර සංචාරකයන්ට ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාව තුල මාස 6ක් එක ස්ථානයක රැකියාවක් කිරීමට හා මාස 4ක් අධ්‍යාපනය ලැබීමට අවස්තාව ලැබේ. ඔවුන්ට මාස 12ට වීසා ලැබෙන අතර ඔවුන් ප්‍රාදේශීය පෙදෙසක දින 88ක් රැකියා කොට ඇත්නම් තවත් මාස 12 දක්වා වීසා කාලය දිගු කර ගැනීමට හැකියි. නමුත් a recent Fair Work report එකක් මගින් හෙළි වී ඇත්තේ මෙම තරුණයින් බොහෝ විට ශ්‍රම සුරා කෑමට හසු වන බවයි

4. නවසීලන්ත ජාතිකයන්

කාලයත් සමග නවසීලන්ත ජාතිකයන් ට ඕස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ සුභ සාධන ලබා දීම පිලිබඳ විවිද මත පල වී තිබෙනවා. ඔවුන් special category visa එකක් තුල ඕනෑම කාලයක් රැකියා කිරීම හා ජීවත් වීමට සුදුසුකම් ලබනවා. එම වීසා එකේ වසර 5ක් ජීවත් වී වසරකට ඩොලර් 55000ක් වඩා වැඩි වැටුපක් ලබා ඇත්නම් ඔවුන්ට ඕස්ට්‍රේලියානු පුරවැසියන් විය හැකියි

5.ස්ථිර පදිංචි වීසා

මේ සදහා විවිද වීසා කාණ්ඩ ඇති අතර වසර 2016-2017 දී ඒ සදහා 190,000 වීසා ප්‍රමාණයක් වෙන් කොට තිබේ. ඒ අතරින් 128,550 කුසලතා යටතේ යටතේද , පවුලේ සාමාජිකයන් සදහා 57,400 ද, මීට පෙර ඕස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ වාසය කල අය වෙනුවෙන් 565 ලබා දී තිබේ.

එසේම Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme යටතේ ප්‍රාදේශීය පෙදෙසක ජීවත් වීමට අනුග්‍රහය හෝ වසර 2ක් ප්‍රාදේශීය පෙදෙසක ජීවත් වූ අයට ත් ඔවුන්ගේ ප්‍රාදේශීය පෙදෙසක වෙසෙන පවුලේ සාමාජිකයෙකු ලවා අනුග්‍රහය ලබා ගත හැකියි.
එසේම කුඩා දරුවන් ඇතුළු පවුලේ සාමාජිකයන් ද මෙයට ඇතුලත් කල හැකියි.
parent visas නම් ලබා ගැනීමට කල් ගත වන අතර , දරුවන් සදහා වීසා ලබා ගැනීමට එතරම් කලක් ගත නොවේ. සහකරු ගෙන්වා ගැනීමේ වීසා සදහා ගාස්තුව දැන් ඩොලර් 6000 තෙක් ඉහල ගොස් තිබෙනවා. මෙම Partner visas එක වසර 2ක තාවකාලික වීසා එකක් වන අතර ඉන් පසුවයි ස්ථිර වීසා සදහා අයදුම් කල හැක්කේ. එසේම වියපත් සහකරු හෝ remaining relative වැනි වීසා සදහා අසාර 50ක් පමණ ගත වේ.

මෙම කුසලතා ක්‍රමය යටතේ ඔබට මුලින් expression of interest එකක් ඉදිරිපත් කල යුතු අතර ඉන් පසුව ඒ අතරින් තෝරා ගැනීම සිදු වේ. සාමාන්යෙන් ව්‍යාපාරික වීසා කාණ්ඩ ඉක්මනනින් ලබා ගත හැකියි

6.මානුෂීය වීසා

රජය විසින් වසර 2016-2017 තුල 13,750 ක් මෙම වේසා ලබා දුන් අතර සිරියානු ප්‍රදේශ වලින් තවත් 12000ක් සරණාගතයින් භාර ගැනේ . ඔවුන් UNHCR කදවුරු තුල වෙසෙන අය නම් ඔවුන්ට එම අවස්තාව ලැබේ. බුරුමය, දකුණු සුඩානය වැනි රටවලින් ද මෙසේ සරණාගතයන්ට අවස්ථා හිමිවේ . නීත්‍යානුකුල ලෙස මෙම වීසා ලබා ගන්න පුද්ගයන්ට Immigration Advice and Application Assistance Scheme (IAAAS) ක්‍රමය යටතේ සහය ලැබේ. නමුත් බෝට්ටු වලින් පැමිණෙන සරණාගතයන්ට නාවුරු හෝ මානුස් දිවයින වැනි කඳවුරු වලට යාමට සිදු වේ .මෙම වීසා සදහාත් කාලයක් ගත වේ. විශේෂයෙන් ඔවුන්ගේ සෞඛ්‍ය තත්වය මැන බැලීම වැනි කරුණු සදහා කලක් ගත වේ.

Source - http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/sinhalese/si/article/2017/09/01/so-you-want-move-australia-heres-how-guide?language=si

Essential Skills work visa changes Thursday, 27 July 2017

2017-08-04T16:57:00.001+05:30

The Government has made decisions on proposals announced in April to change the settings for temporary migrant workers under the Essential Skills policy.

The changes will support already announced changes to the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) residence policy and strike the right balance between ensuring New Zealanders are at the front of the queue for jobs and preserving access to the temporary migrant labour necessary for New Zealand’s continued economic growth.

The changes follow a consultation exercise and include:

The introduction of remuneration bands to assess the skill level of roles offered to Essential Skills visa applicants
The introduction of a maximum duration of three years for lower-skilled Essential Skills visa holders, after which they will need to spend 12 months outside New Zealand before they can be granted an Essential Skills visa to work in another lower-skilled role, and
Requiring the partners and children of lower-skilled Essential Skills visa holders to meet the requirements for a visa in their own right (they will still have access to short-term visitor visas).

The changes are designed to continue to enable employers to employ temporary migrant workers where there are genuine shortages while ensuring that lower-skilled migrants are clear about their future prospects in New Zealand.

The changes will be introduced on 28 August this year, at the same time as the changes to the SMC.

Detailed information about the application of these policy changes will be available within the next fortnight. That information will be published on the INZ website and will include how the remuneration threshold will be calculated, implications for family members of workers in lower-skilled roles, and how the stand-down period will be applied.

Minister's media release

Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) changes announced in April

Questions and answers

Why are we introducing remuneration bands and what will they be?

Remuneration is an excellent proxy for skills and the introduction of remuneration bands will complement the qualifications and occupation framework (ANZSCO). The bands are:-

Higher-skilled – Any Essential Skills visa holder earning above 1.5 times the New Zealand median full-time income (currently $73,299 per year), regardless of their occupation
Mid-skilled – Any Essential Skills visa holder earning above 85 per cent of the New Zealand median full-time income (currently $41,538 per year), in an occupation classified as ANZSCO Level 1-3, and
Lower-skilled – Any Essential Skills visa holder earning below the mid-skilled remuneration threshold.

The changes mean that overseas workers who are in an occupation classified as ANZSCO level 4-5 will be classified as lower-skilled unless they earn above one and a half times the New Zealand median full-time wage (currently $73,299 per year).

How many lower-skilled Essential Skills visa holders will be affected by the proposals?

Setting the mid-skilled remuneration threshold at 85% of the New Zealand median wage would mean that between 9,700 and 11,800 Essential Skills visa holders at ANZSCO levels 1-3 would be classified as lower-skilled (totalling between 38% and 46% of Essential Skills visa holders at ANZSCO levels 1-3). As at 13 May 2017 there were 11,214 Essential Skills visa holders in occupations at skill levels 4 and 5. While a small number may earn above the higher-skilled threshold we expect the majority to remain lower-skilled under the new definition.

How will employers be able to source the labour they need under the proposals?

Immigration policy is premised on a New Zealanders first approach and employers are required to ensure they are doing all they can to train and employ New Zealanders. However, these changes are not designed to reduce the number of migrants coming in on temporary work visas. Where there are genuine skills shortages, employers will still be able to recruit temporary migrant workers, as long as they can demonstrate there are not New Zealanders available to do the job.

Why has three years been chosen as the maximum duration for lower-skilled Essential Skills work visas?

A maximum duration of three years provides a balance between giving lower-skilled Essential Skills visa holders the opportunity to transition to a higher skilled Essential Skills visa or obtain residence, while also ensuring that migrants with no pathway to residence do not become well-settled in New Zealand. It also provides employers with time to recruit new staff or upskill existing staff to fill the role.

How will the decision to limit lower-skilled Essential Skills visa holders to a maximum initial three-year period affect people already here?

The change will not be applied retrospectively for lower-skilled Essential Skills workers already in New Zealand. The three year maximum duration will start from the date their next lower-skilled Essential Skills visa is granted after the introduction of the changes to the Essential Skills policy.

Why are you restricting the ability of partners and children of lower-skilled migrant workers to come here?

The changes are designed to ensure that lower-skilled migrants are clear about their future prospects in New Zealand. Lower skilled Essential Skills workers will take up employment in New Zealand with a full understanding that they will only be able to bring their family to New Zealand as a short-term visitor, unless they meet visa requirements in their own right. Removing eligibility for open work visas for partners of lower-skilled Essential Skills visa holders will potentially provide more opportunities for local workers to take on those roles. While some lower-skilled Essential Skills visa holders could be discouraged from coming to New Zealand it is not expected to reduce the numbers of principal Essential Skills applicants.

Will the change affect families already here?

Families of lower-skilled Essential Skills visa holders already in New Zealand will be able to remain here for the duration that the Essential Skills visa holder remains legally in New Zealand.

The new Kiwis - what kinds of people are becoming New Zealand citizens?

2017-07-20T17:46:00.001+05:30

The granting of New Zealand citizenship to tech billionaire Peter Thiel – who failed to meet several criteria – raised questions about our citizenship system. Nikki Macdonald meets some new Kiwis and looks at the rules.

The united nations of New Zealand wait in line.

There's Jose and George; Ailis and Yulia; Ali, Hussain and Muhammad; Rakesh and Deepshikha, Zakariya and Mustafa, and plain old Marie. There are kilts and dhotis; island shirts and gypsy dresses with tinkling bells. Little girls in tutus and tiaras; cargo pants and shiny shot silk.

Black, brown and white they have only one thing in common – they're about to be united as new citizens of a tiny nation at the bottom of the world.

READ MORE
* Peter Thiel was in NZ for just 12 days before becoming a citizen
* Case of a well-connected millionaire
* Controversial businessman William Yan sentenced for money laundering

The united nations of New Zealand wait in line to become Kiwi citizens. PHOTO: ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF

This citizenship ceremony at Te Papa is additional to Wellington's standard monthly affair – such is the queue to become a Kiwi in the city in which one-third of residents were born overseas. And it's not just Wellington: 2016 recorded the second-highest number of new citizens since 1949.

"It's a commitment to your future, not a rejection of your past," says deputy mayor Paul Eagle, flanked by a flaccid New Zealand flag.

But some have renounced their birthplace to be here – countries such as India do not allow dual citizenship. Others keep the best of both worlds.

This ceremony is one of hundreds performed by local councils nationwide. New figures obtained by The Dominion Post show the nationalities of new Kiwis vary significantly between regions.

The majority of new citizens (58 per cent) are in the Auckland region, with India the largest country of origin. Wellington and Canterbury's new ranks are dominated by Brits, particularly the English. Filipinos and South Africans also feature highly.

As they take the stage to claim their certificates, you guess at their stories. The nervous young Ethiopian in the crinkled shirt. The elderly woman in a headscarf. That's Nirmal Kaur – she's been here 14 years, sent her three children to study here from Malaysia. Now they're patent attorneys and IT gurus.

"The law is good here," she says. "It does not sway with different people. In some countries, you have to be somebody to be seen."

An English woman has a Kiwi husband and kids and has been eligible for ages, but post-Brexit she decided to let her British citizenship lapse.

On the screen, bow-tied Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne points out that New Zealand residents get many privileges accorded only to citizens in other countries, such as the right to vote. So the decision to become a citizen reflects a lifelong commitment to the country.

There are oaths and affirmations and the national anthem. And a new crop of Kiwis is born.

Meddeline stuck it out at the hospital until the girls arrived, before moving to disability nursing, agency nursing and now nursing administration.

Three agonising years it took to earn enough money, and sort visas, to bring her daughters to New Zealand. Every month, she sent 100kg of goodies – canned food, milk powder, DVDs – to assuage the guilty feeling she was better off than they.

As the process dragged, depression set in.

Then finally, in February 2009, Nyarie and Ashley – by then 13 and 15 – boarded their first plane to join their mother. The three now live together in a small rented home in Lyall Bay.

Nyarie, now 21, still sounds African, but there's an Antipodean edge lacking in her mother's velvet tones. She knew nothing about New Zealand but fitted easily into multicultural Wellington East Girls' College. She and other African pupils started a dance group. She befriended a Maori girl and thought she was American.

Now she's studying a bachelor of tourism management at Victoria University and working as a gym receptionist. She'll do an OE, but sees herself here for a long time.

"Life is just better here."

Which is why, in June, after eight years here, Nyarie ditched her Zimbabwean passport to become a certified New Zealander.

Meddeline, now 44, can't yet commit to that leap. She loves the peace and knowing she doesn't need to wait up when Nyarie and Ashley go into town. And Zimbabwe is now "really, really bad", with no electricity or water for days.

But she still has six siblings there and hopes to spend more time there when the girls are independent. Sometimes, she misses her family's rural homestead, or washing in the river in the sun.

Claire, Clifford and 10-year-old Chloe Lasmarias moved from the Philippines in 2011. Caspian was born in New Zealand so was a citizen by birth. PHOTO: ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF

THE LASMARIAS FAMILY, THE PHILIPPINES

Clifford perches on the "Mr Right" cushion; Claire takes the "Mrs Always Right". As they talk, Chloe, 10 and 4-year-old Caspian munch on mango marshmallows.

The Lasmarias family look like any Kiwi family, at home in their comfortable suburban house.

But it's a world away from Clifford's Philippines upbringing. He was largely a stranger to his parents, as they worked furiously to save for his education. While he went to school in the provinces, his mother worked as an accounts clerk in Manila and his electrician father moved to Saudi Arabia to up his earning potential, later becoming a seaman.

Clifford returned to the world's most densely populated city at age 12. The reunion with his mother was brief – she died of kidney disease two years later. There was no free healthcare and his father exhausted his savings on medication.

"It's really a challenge raising a family back home," Clifford, 38, says. "My parents really made some huge sacrifices."

In spite of everything, the family managed to fund Clifford's university studies in electronics engineering.

Claire's family were more comfortable, but lived a simple life. Her father also worked in Saudi Arabia, as a mechanic, before returning to run a school bus service.

The pair met while at university and married in 2006. They moved in with Claire's parents, pooling resources to pay household costs and employ home help.

They always dreamed of going overseas. Clifford was marketable, with experience in the top Filipino communications companies.

They targeted Singapore, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. A job came up at 2degrees, so Clifford took it.

He arrived in March 2011, knowing no-one, having borrowed to fund the move.

When Claire followed with Chloe in May, she was struck by the low clouds, the cold and wind, and the friendly people. But the biggest culture shock was living on their own for the first time, doing all the chores, making sense of the Kiwi accent.

Candidates only become official Kiwi citizens after they've made an oath or affirmation of allegiance at a public ceremony. PHOTO: ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF

Clifford was used to change and challenge. Claire less so. It was hard, too, when her mother died when Claire was pregnant with Caspian.

But when they became permanent residents and she needed an ear operation, she came to appreciate the value of free healthcare.

"I was really surprised when we were about to leave the hospital – are we really not paying anything?"

It's a big factor in their decision to become New Zealand citizens, Clifford says. "My mum passed away because we did not have the resources."

That, and the powerful passport and more relaxed, family-friendly lifestyle. And the fact Caspian was a Kiwi because he was born here, and Chloe was jealous.

They still miss food and extended family. They speak Tagalog at home and Chloe considers herself both Filipino and Kiwi. But they bought a house a year ago and value their security.

"The future is much brighter here," Claire says.

Phil and Gill Mark originally planned to stay two years. Nine years and two children later they have become Kiwis. Olivia, 3 and Isabella, 1, were born here so were automatic citizens. PHOTO: ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF

THE MARK FAMILY, SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND

At the ceremony, Phil Mark signposted his heritage with a kilt in the tartan of his mother's maiden name, Montgomery. But at home he'd pass for any Wellington hipster, with his Aro Noir T-shirt from boutique brewery Garage Project.

Phil is Northern Irish, having grown up south of Belfast. He's still British enough to define the distance in miles. Gill is Scottish, from Edinburgh. They're outdoorsy – meeting at the canoe club in Dundee, where they both went to university. Phil was studying architecture; Gill medicine.

Phil worked on building sites and did charity work in Namibia. Gill worked in a Dundee hospital, and as a GP registrar. And then they wondered what next. They didn't leave because UK life was grim, it was just a good time for a change.

The wish list was Canada, New Zealand or Australia. New Zealand won and Phil was accepted to complete architecture school at Victoria University.

GPs are on New Zealand's long term skills shortage list, so Gill had no trouble getting a visa, and locum work in Upper Hutt. They drove down from Auckland and remember the harbour view from State Highway One, staying with the practice manager, and Tuesday night pub quiz. It felt like a holiday.

They came in 2008 and planned to stay two years, but the global financial crisis prompted them to stay.

That was nine years ago. They've since bought a house – cold but serviceable. And gained three cats, a dog, 5 chickens and two kids – Olivia, 3 and Isabella, 1.

Phil works for Athfield Architects. It's a 15-minute commute, but he gets to work on creative projects such as Pukeahu War Memorial Park, the kind of work he'd have to move to London for at home.

Gill now works for student health at Victoria University. It's close and family friendly, but she struggles with the ethnic disparities and knowing how to reach Maori and Pasifika students.

The one thing they miss is family.

"I have the sense we are in the right place just now," Gill says. But sick parents could change that.

Getting citizenship was about being a family together, as the girls are automatic Kiwi citizens. The Marks half-pass the true test of loyalty, having supported the All Blacks in the recent Lions tour. But that's only because there were too many English players. All Blacks vs Scotland or Ireland would be a different story.

Life remains a struggle on a chef's wage for Punit D'Souza, his wife Michelle and daughter Myra. PHOTO: MONIQUE FORD/STUFF

THE D'SOUZA FAMILY, INDIA

All Punit D'Souza knew of New Zealand was the boys with willow bats and black caps.

Growing up in Thane, near Mumbai, he wanted to be a chef and to travel. He now considers his family middle class, but not back then. His parents worked in Kuwait for 30 years – his mother for a ticketing agency, his dad fixing elevators. The price for prosperity and education was never seeing your parents.

"They didn't have high qualifications, but managed to do quite a lot. They were quite an inspiration."

Punit, now 30, is a chef at Wellington's Noble Rot wine bar. He lives in a simple flat with his wife Michelle and 16-month-old daughter Myra, and another Indian chef. A double mattress is propped against the living room wall.

Supporting a family on a chef's wage is not easy, Punit says. Michelle and Myra just returned to New Zealand after 1½ years away. Michelle suffered bleeding problems while pregnant and Punit couldn't juggle work and looking after her, so she returned to India, to family support.

Punit at work at Noble Rot. PHOTO: MONIQUE FORD/STUFF

Negotiating immigration has also been a struggle. Punit came on a student visa, to study cheffing at New Plymouth's Western Institute of Technology. He had studied hotel management and got work experience in India and Kuwait. But he wanted to focus on cooking, and was looking for a country offering a possibility of residence. It was 2009 and the recession was biting in Britain – New Zealand looked a good option.

He was stunned by the beauty of Taranaki, and New Zealand's comparatively laid-back kitchens.

He eventually got a job at Wagamama in Wellington, after applying for at least 50 positions. Most didn't want the bother of the immigration paperwork.

Michelle's visa was initially rejected, because immigration officers thought it was a sham marriage.

Punit has worked for many top Wellington restaurants, moving around to learn new techniques. But his dream is to run his own business, starting with a pop-up.

He had to renounce his Indian citizenship to become a Kiwi, but it wasn't so hard. He loves Wellington and its peace and safety.

"I hope one day our situation gets better – that's why we are here. But I have no regrets."

Sravan Nalakonda came to study, but now feels at home here. PHOTO: MONIQUE FORD/STUFF

SRAVAN NALAKONDA, 32, INDIA

It took Sravan Nalakonda 1½ hours to fold the traditional dhoti he wore to the citizenship ceremony. He'd only done it once before – for his brother's wedding.

After seven years in New Zealand, India seems strange to him. His home city of Hyderabad, in the south, is almost unrecognisable. His chatter is peppered with Kiwisms such as "sweet" and he's been supporting the Black Caps for five years. Yes, even when they play India.

Sravan also came to study cheffing in New Plymouth. He'd studied hotel management and worked as a bartender, but wanted a change. Somewhere welcoming and peaceful and relaxing. He considered Canada, Switzerland and New Zealand.

"I heard it's one of those countries if you're good, legal and do things nice, there is scope for you to settle down and get residency."

He got a job the same day he came to Wellington and now works at Bethel Woods in the CBD.

New Zealand seems like his home; his friends are his family. There's space and he can walk the streets at 2am without fear of being robbed.

And he doesn't expect to return to India to marry – he'd rather keep his rugby mates, his movie mates and his drinking mates than invest all his energies in one girl.

"I feel like I will stay here for a long while."

CITIZENSHIP FOR SALE?

Two high-profile citizenship cases have raised questions about the exceptional circumstances provisions allowing foreigners who fail citizenship criteria to become Kiwis anyway.

▪ PETER THIEL

American tech billionaire Peter Thiel became a New Zealand resident in 2006 and was granted citizenship in 2011, under the "exceptional circumstances" provision. The citizenship only came to light in 2017, after journalist Matt Nippert questioned how he had bought a Lake Wanaka estate without Overseas Investment Office approval.

Thiel failed all the citizenship residency criteria, having never lived in New Zealand long term, having spent just 12 days here over five years (compared with the standard minimum 1350 days) and having no intention to live here in the future.

The then Minister of Internal Affairs, Nathan Guy, granted citizenship in the "public interest", based on his investments in New Zealand ventures and a $1 million donation to the Canterbury rebuild.

▪ BILL LIU/YONG MING YAN/YANG LIU/WILLIAM YAN

A mysterious Chinese millionaire who used four different names and several birth dates came to New Zealand in 2001 and was granted permanent residency in 2002.

Known to his MP mates as Bill Liu, he was a high-rolling gambler and donated $5000 to both the Labour and National parties during the 2005 election.

By May 2005 he had applied for citizenship, but a month later Chinese authorities accused him of embezzlement. He was not convicted of any offence, but his Australian bank accounts were frozen and $4 million was sent to the Chinese government. The allegations spurred New Zealand immigration officials to suggest revoking his permanent residency.

Instead, in 2008 he was granted citizenship, after then Labour Party minister Shane Jones over-ruled Internal Affairs officials, who said he did not meet the good-character test.

In March 2017, he pleaded guilty to money laundering, after forfeiting nearly $43 million to police.

Does this represent New Zealand? Watch the video shown to new citizens.

THE RULES

Citizenship rules were tightened in 2005, when the residency requirement was extended from three to five years. Ordinary mortals who are not Peter Thiel must now meet the following criteria:

▪ RESIDENCY

1) Have been a permanent New Zealand resident for at least five years.

2) Have been in New Zealand for at least 240 days in each of those five years, and at least 1350 days across the 5 years.

3) Intend to live in New Zealand after gaining citizenship.

▪ LANGUAGE

Able to hold a basic conversation in English.

▪ GOOD CHARACTER

You could be turned down for citizenship if you have more than 100 driving demerit points or a criminal history.

▪ PUBLIC DECLARATION

You're not a citizen until you've said the oath or affirmation of allegiance at one of the public citizenship ceremonies held by local councils. Private ceremonies – such as that held for Peter Thiel – must be approved by the minister.

CITIZENSHIP BY BIRTH

Babies born here are now automatic citizens only if at least one parent was a citizen or permanent resident at the time of their birth.

CITIZENSHIP BY MARRIAGE

Since 2005, there have been no special rules for non-citizens married to Kiwis.

DUAL CITIZENSHIP

New Zealand allows dual or multiple citizenship, but some countries do not, so some immigrants must renounce citizenship of their home nation before becoming Kiwis. Dual citizenship has some fish-hooks, as Palmerston North-born Australian Greens senator Scott Ludlam found out. He had to resign, after discovering he was still a Kiwi citizen - excluding him from running for parliament under Australia's constitution.

RESIDENCY VS CITIZENSHIP

Many nations, including Australia, restrict voting to citizens. New Zealand, however, allows permanent residents to have their say in elections, as long as they have lived here continuously for a year or more. In Britain, voting in a general election is restricted to British and Commonwealth citizens.

Only citizens can stand for parliament or local councils, or represent New Zealand in some sporting events, such as the Olympic Games.

REVOKING CITIZENSHIP

Citizenship can be revoked at any time between it being granted and the person taking the oath at a public citizenship ceremony. After that, it's more difficult.

The Internal Affairs Minister can still rescind citizenship, if the person has also become a citizen of another country and acted contrary to the interests of New Zealand; or if citizenship was gained through fraud or a mistake.

*Comments on this article have been closed

- Stuff

නවසීලන්ත ආගමන නීති වෙනස්කම් සරලව

2017-06-24T14:53:00.003+05:30

අපේ ආගමන නීතිවලට වෙනස්කම් මෙම වසරේ අගෝස්තුවේ පැවැත්වීමට නියමිතව ඇති නමුත්, ඔබේ කාර්ය මණ්ඩලය හා ව්යාපාර කෙරෙහි ඔවුන් කෙසේ බලපානු ඇත්ද?

නවසීලන්ත ආගමන විගමන ආගමන විගමන නීතිය ක්රියාත්මක කරන සංක්රමණික නීතියට සංශෝධන නිකුත් කර ඇත.

නව නීතිය නවසීලන්තයේ සදාකල් ජීවත් වීමට බලාපොරොත්තු වන අය සඳහා ලක්ෂ්යයක් මත පදනම් වූ නිවාස ප්රතිපත්තියක් වේ. ලකුණු අයදුම්කරුවන්ගේ සුදුසුකම්, සේවා පළපුරුද්ද සහ රැකියා ඉල්ලුම වැනි සාධක මත පදනම් වේ.

සියලුම අයදුම්කරුවන් ඉංග්රීසි භාෂාවේ සෞඛ්ය, චරිතය සහ විධානය පිළිබඳ අවම අවම නිර්ණායකයන් සපුරාලිය යුතුය.

පුහුණු ශ්රමිකයින්ගේ සංකල්පයක් නව සංකල්පයක් නොවේ. නමුත් මේ වසරේ සිදුකරන වෙනස්කම්. ඒ ඔක්ලන්ඩ් වල නේවාසික නීති වෙනස් කරනු ඇති මෙම වෙනස්කම්.

පළමු වෙනස් කිරීම මඟින් ලක්ෂ්යයේ සිට 140 සිට 160 දක්වා ස්වයංක්රීය තෝරාගැනීම සඳහා ලකුණු සීමාව වැඩි කිරීම.

මෙම වෙනස්කම් නිසා වසරකට ඩොලර් 49,000 ක් දෙනා ඕනෑම කෙනෙකුට පදිංචි නොවිය හැකි නම් මධ්ය නගරවල වැඩ කිරීමට නොහැකි වනු ඇත.

ආගමන නීති රීති තද කිරීම තාවකාලිකව වුවත්, මැතිවරණයට පෙරාතුව අවසන් වීමටත්, ඕක්ලන්ඞ් වෙත පැමිණෙන සංචාරකයන්ට අඩු ප්රමාණයක් පැමිණෙන විට ප්රදේශවලට අවශ්ය ප්රදේශවලට උපකාර කිරීමටත්, ආගමන අමාත්ය මයිකල් වුහවුස් පවසයි.

"අගෝස්තු 14 වනදා සිට ආරම්භ කිරීමට ඇති වෙනස්කම්වල කොටසක් ලෙස, සංක්රමණික කාණ්ඩයේ වීසා සඳහා සුදුසුකම් ලැබීම සඳහා සංක්රමණිකයන්ට නවසීලන්තයෙන් වසරකට ඩොලර් 48,859 ක් උපයනු ඇත.

වෙනත් වෙනස්කම් ඇතුළත් වනුයේ අඩු සුදුසුකම් සහිත වීසා බලපත්ර හිමියන්ට වසර තුනක කාලයක් දක්වා සීමා කිරීම සහ මෙම වීසා බලපත්ර හිමියන්ගේ දරුවන්ගේ දරුවන් සහ දරුවන් ලෙස වර්ගීකරණය කිරීමයි. ඒ නිසා ඔවුන් තමන්ගේම අවශ්යතාවයන් සපුරාලන්නේ නම් ඔවුන් රැකියා වීසා ලැබෙනු ඇත.

නව රෙගුලාසි හේතුවෙන්, කම්කරුවන්ට රටේ රැඳී සිටීම අරමුණු කරගත් ඉහල වැටුප් සඳහා ව්යාපාරික හිමියන් අපේක්ෂා කළ හැකිය.

නවසීලන්ත පදිංචිකරුවන් රැකියාව කිරීම නව නීතියේ ප්රතිඵලයක් ලෙස සේවක පාඩු විඳිය හැකි විශාල හා කුඩා ව්යාපාර සඳහා ඉලක්කය වේ.

කෙසේ වෙතත්, නවසීලන්ත ආගමන විගමන පනතට අනුව නව නීතිය යටතේ පැන නගින ගැටලු තිබේ.

"අඩු ආදායම් ලාභී රැකියාවක නිරතවන සංක්රමණිකයින්ගේ ඉහළ යාම (SMC) (වැඩිවන සංක්රමණික කාණ්ඩයේ) වැඩිවීමක් පෙන්නුම් කරන්නේ," නිපුණයින්ගේ වැඩ "වර්තමාන අර්ථකථනයට ගැලපෙන සමහර රැකියා විය හැකිය, සැබවින්ම, ඉහළ නිපුණතාවයක් නැතැයි නවසීලන්ත ආගමන වෙබ් අඩවිය පවසයි.

විශේෂයෙන්ම, ජ්යෙෂ්ඨ සහ කණිෂ්ඨ කාර්යභාරයන් (විශේෂයෙන් කළමනාකාර තනතුරු) අතර වෙනස හඳුනා ගැනීම පහසු නොවේ.

නේවාසික සඳහා අයදුම් කිරීමට අවශ්ය වූ නමුත් දැන් අවශ්යතාවයන් නොපවතින බැවින්, ආගමන විගමන නවසීලන්තය අයදුම් කිරීම නොකෙරේ.

"ඔබට නව ලකුණු සීමාව සපුරාගත නොහැකි නම්, ඔබ තෝරා නොගනු ලෙස EOI ඉදිරිපත් කරන ලෙස අපි නිර්දේශ නොකරමු."

එහෙත් දැනටමත් නවසීලන්තයේ සේවය කරන අය තම රැකියාව මත පදනම්ව තාවකාලික රැකියා වීසා බලපත්රයක් සඳහා අයදුම් කළ හැකිය.

ඔවුන්ගේ වර්තමාන සේවකයින් රැකබලා ගැනීම සඳහා සුදුසු නවසීලන්ත කම්කරුවන්ට ඔවුන්ගේ රැකියා අවශ්යතා සපුරාලීමට නුසුදුසු බවට හාම්පුතුන් විසින් පෙන්විය යුතුය.

අගෝස්තු 14 සිට ආරම්භ වන වෙනස්කම්:

• නවසීලන්තයේ එක් වරක් වසරකට ඩොලර් 49,000 කට වඩා අඩු ආදායමක් ලබන ඕනෑම අයෙකුට පුහුණු ශ්රමිකයින් වීසා බලපත්රයක් ලබා නොදෙන අතර ස්ථිර රැකියාවල නියුක්තයින්ට එවැනි රැකියා සඳහා ලකුණු ලබා නොදෙනු ඇත.

• ඩොලර් 73,299 කට වැඩි උපයනු ලබන පුද්ගලයින් ස්වයංක්රීයව ඉහළ කුසලතා ලෙස වර්ගීකරණය කරනු ලැබේ.

• විගණන අධිකාරිය සිය නිවසේ යෙදුම වෙත යොමු කර ඇති අයෙකු විසින් වගු අංකයක් සපයයි. වයස 30-39 වයස් කාණ්ඩයේ සහ ඉහල වැටුප් මට්ටමේ කුසලතා මට්ටම් වැඩි වශයෙන් ඇගයීමට ලක් කරනු ඇත.

• අඩු පුහුණු වීසා බලපත්ර හිමියන්ට උපරිම වශයෙන් වසර තුනක් දක්වා සීමා කිරීම, පසුව තවත් වීසා අනුමත කිරීමට පෙර සිටුවීමේ කාල සීමාව අදාළ වේ.

• මෙම වීසා බලපත්ර හිමියන්ගේ අමුත්තන්ගේ සහකරුවන්ගේ දරුවන් විසින් සංචිතකරණය කිරීම සහ ඔවුන්ගේ අයිතිවාසිකම් සපුරාලන විට ඔවුන් රැකියා වීසා ලැබෙනු ඇත.

• සෘතු වෘත්තීන්හි වීසා කාලය දීර්ඝ කිරීම තහවුරු කිරීම සඳහා වර්තමානයේ මෙන් මාස 12 කට වඩා ඉහල ඉල්ලුමේ ශ්රම ඉල්ලුම සමග ගැලපෙයි.

අඩු වියදම් ගුවන් ගමනක් යාමට සුදුසුම කාලය කුමක්ද?

2017-06-14T07:09:00.003+05:30

පාසල් නිවාඩු සමය ආරම්භයේ සහ අවසානයේදී මෙන්ම නත්තල, පාස්කු වැනි නිවාඩු කාල වලදී ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන් ගමන් වල ආසන ඉහළ පිරිවැයක් ගනී.

ඔබ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට හෝ වෙනත් රටකට යාමට ගුවන් ගමනක් සැලසුම් කිරීමේදී ගුවන් ටිකට් පතෙහි මිල පිළිබඳ අනිවාර්යෙන්ම සැළකිලිමත් වන බව අමුතුවෙන් කිව යුතු නැත.

අද වන විට ගුවන් මගීන් තමාට සරිලන ගුවන් සේවයක් තෝරාගැනීමේදී පෙරදාට වඩා විකල්ප රාශියක් තිබේ.

නමුත් සාමන්‍යයෙන් ගුවන් ගමනක් යොදා ගැනීමේදී ඔබට ටිකට් පතෙහි මිල අඩු කරගත හැකි තවත් ක්‍රමයක් පිළිබඳ ඔබ අසා තිබෙනවාද?

මෙම ලිපිය හරහා ඔබට ඒ තොරතුරු දැනගත හැකිවේ.

අඩු වියදම් ගුවන් ගමනක යෙදීමට සුදුසු කාලය කුමක්ද?

දේශීය හෙවත් ගෘහස්ත (domestic) ගුවන් ගමන් වලදී සතියේ දින වල අළුයම් කාලය සහ සවස් කාලය සාමාන්‍ය ගුවන් ගමන් වලට යොදා නොගන්නා මෙන් ප්‍රසිද්ධ කියමනක් ඇත.

මන්ද එම කාලයන් තුළ ව්‍යාපාරිකයින් බහුල වශයෙන් තම ව්‍යාපාරික කටයුතු උදෙසා දේශීය ගුවන් ගමන් වල යෙදෙන බැවිනි.

එනිසාම එම ගුවන් ගමන් වල ආසන සාපේක්ෂව ඉහළ පිරිවැයක් ගනියි.

මීට අමතරව සංචාරකයින් හේතුවෙන් සිකුරාදා රාත්‍රියේ සහ ඉරිදා රාත්‍රියේද දේශීය ගුවන් ගමන් වල ආසන සාපේක්ෂව ඉහළ පිරිවැයක් ගනියි.

“ඔබේ කාලය නම්‍යශීලීනම් ඔබට සතියේ ඕනෑම දිනෙක මැද භාගයේ ගමන් කිරීමෙන් වියදම අඩු කරගත හැකිවේ. නමුත් සැමවිටම සති අන්තයේ පටන් ගැනීම සහ අවසානය මග හැරීමට මතක තබා ගන්න.” Flight Centre විවේක සංචාරයන්හි සාමාන්‍යධිකාරී Tom Walley පවසයි.

උතුරු අර්ධ ගෝලයේ නිවාඩු සමයන්හි දීද ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන් සේවා වල ආසන ඉහළ පිරිවැයක් ගනී.

එනිසාම සැම විටම නම්‍යශීලී වී තමන්ගේ ගුවන් ගමන පෙරාතුව වෙන් කරවාගන්න.

අවසානය වන තුරු බලා සිටීමෙන් ඔබට ඉහළ මුදලක් ගෙවා ආසන වෙන්කරවා ගැනීමට සිදු වන බව Tom Walley පෙන්වා දෙයි.

Budget ගුවන් සේවාවන් සැමවිටම හොඳම විසඳුම් නොදෙයි.

Budget ගුවන් සේවා හෙවත් අඩු වියදම් ගුවන් සේවා පසුගිය දශක දෙක ඇතුළත ලෝකයේ ගුවන් සේවා ක්ෂේත්‍රයේ ආන්දෝලනයක් ඇති කිරීමට සමත් විය.

මෙනිසාම ලොව බොහෝ පුද්ගලයින් හට විදෙස් සංචාරයන්හි නිරත වීමට ඉඩ සැලසුණි.

Budget ගුවන් සේවා වල බොහෝ විට මිල ප්‍රකාශ කරනුයේ ආසනයට පමණක් වීම නිසා එය සෑමවිටම ආකර්ෂණීය වේ.

ඒ අනුව ගුවන් මගියා අනෙක් සාමාන්‍ය ගුවන් සේවාවන් හි මිල ගණන් සමග මෙහි මිල සංසන්දනය කර Budget ගුවන් සේවාවන්හි මිල ඉතා අඩු බව සිතයි.

නමුත් ආසන වෙන් කිරීම, ආහාර පාන, ගමන් මළු පහසුකම් වැනි විවිධාකාරයේ අංග පසුව එකිනෙක එකතු වන විට ඉහත සිතූ විශාල ලාභය කෙමෙන් කෙමෙන් පහත බසියි.

මීට අමතරව බොහෝ විට ඔබට සිදු වන්නේ ආසන පේළි අතර පරතරය අඩු ආසන වල ගමන් කිරීමටය.

http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/sinhalese/si/article/2017/06/14/what-are-best-times-fly?language=si

ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු නව දෙමාපිය වීසා : වසර 10 යි. ඩොලර් 20,000 යි.

2017-05-08T06:32:00.001+05:30

මෙම නව වීසා ක්‍රමය යටතේ අයදුම්කරුවන් හට තම දෙමාපියන් වෙනුවෙන් ඩොලර් 5,000 කට වසර 3 ක වීසා හෝ ඩොලර් 10,000 කට වසර 5 ක වීසා සඳහා අයදුම් කළ හැකි අතර එම මුදලම ගෙවීමෙන් තවත් වසර 5 කට වීසා කාලය දිගු කරගැනීමට හැකියාව තිබේ.

ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ සිටින සංක්‍රමණික ප්‍රජාවන්ට තම දෙමාපියන් ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවට ගෙන්වා ගැනීමේදී දැන් වසර 10 ක් දක්වා කාලයකට වීසා ලබා දීමට ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු රජය තීරණය කර ඇති නමුත් ඒ සඳහා ගෙවීමට සිදුවන වීසා ගාස්තුව ඩොලර් 20,000 දක්වා වන බවද වාර්තා වේ.

මේ පිළිබඳ SBS මාධ්‍ය ජාලය සිදු කළ විශේෂ සාකච්ඡාවකදී අනාවරණය වූ අතර සෑම වසරකම පුද්ගලයින් 15,000 ක් පමණ මෙසේ තම දෙමාපියන්ව ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවට ගෙන්වා ගැනීමට කටයුතු කරන බව ද හෙළි විය.

මීට අමතරව එසේ පැමිණෙන දෙමාපියන් ගේ පූර්ණ සෞඛ්‍යාවරණය සඳහා ලබා ගන්නා සෞඛ්‍ය රක්ෂණයට අදාළ ගාස්තු සියල්ලක්ම අනුග්‍රහය දක්වන පුද්ගලයා ගෙවිය යුතු අතර ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාව තුළ සිදු කරනු ලබන සෑම ප්‍රතිකාරයකම වියදම සඳහා ඔවුන් වගකිව යුතුය.

"වියපත් දෙමාපියන් ගේ සෞඛ්‍ය රැකවරණය හේතුවෙන් බදු ගෙවන ජනතාවට විශාල වියදමක් දැරීමට සිදුවී තිබෙනවා. මෙය ලොව පුරා ක්‍රියාත්මක රජයන් මුහුණ දෙමින් සිටින බරපතල අර්බුදයක්." ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ ආගමන කටයුතු පිළිබඳ සහකාර අමාත්‍ය Alex Hawke, SBS පුවත් වෙත පැවසීය.

සෞඛ්‍යාවරණ පිරිවැය ඉහළ යාම සීමා කිරීමට ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු රජයට මේ හේතුවෙන් හැකියාවක් ලැබෙන අතර වීසා ගාස්තුවලින් ඩොලර් මිලියන ගණනක් අය වැයට දායක කිරීමටද හැකියාව පවතියි.

ඒ අනුව වසරකට දෙමාපිය වීසා 15,000 කෝටාව සම්පූර්ණ වූ කල වීසා ගාස්තු ලෙස භාණ්ඩාගාරයට ඩොලර් මිලියන 150 ක මුදලක් ලැබෙනු ඇත.

මෙම නව දෙමාපිය වීසා යටතේ පැමිණෙන පුද්ගලයින් හට ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාව තුළ සේවය කිරීම තහනම් වන නමුත් පවුලේ දරුවන් සඳහා රැකවරණය සපයමින් "ළමා සුරැකුම්" සේවාවන් මත ඇති පීඩනය අඩු වනු ඇතැයි රජය අපේක්ෂා කරයි.

නමුත් ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු ජාතික විශ්ව විද්‍යාලයේ සංක්‍රමණික කටයුතු පිළිබඳ විශේෂඥ Henry Sherrell, මෙම නව වීසා ක්‍රමයේ අධික ගාස්තු පිළිබඳ විවේචනය කරයි.

"මෙම තාවකාලික වීසා සඳහා වන ගාස්තුව අතිශයින්ම මිළ අධිකයි. රාජ්‍ය සෞඛ්‍යාවරණ සඳහා තාවකලික සංක්‍රමණිකයින් දායක වන ප්‍රථම අවස්ථාව මෙයයි. පුද්ගලික සෞඛ්‍ය රක්ෂනයන්හි මූලික ගාස්තුව ඉතාමත් ඉහළයි." යනුවෙන් Henry Sherrell පැවසීය.

දෙමාපිය වීසා හි සෞඛ්‍යාවරණය සීමා කිරීමට ගනු ලැබු මෙම තීරණයට ප්‍රධාන සාධකයක් වුයේ පසුගිය වසරේ එළිදැක්වුණු ඵලදායීතා කොමිසම් වාර්තාව වන අතර එහි සඳහන් අන්දමට එක් දෙමපියෙකු හට ජීවිත කාලයටම ඩොලර් 335,000 - 410,000 ක පිරිවැයක් දැරීමට සිදු වෙයි.

මෙම වීසා ක්‍රමය පිළිබඳ නිල වශයෙන් දැනුම් දීම ලබන සතියේ ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමට නියමිත අය වැයත් සමග රජය අපේක්ෂා කරයි.

මෙසේ නව දෙමාපිය වීසා සඳහා අයදුම්කරනු ලබන අයදුම්කරුවන් ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ ස්ථිර පදිංචිය හිමි අය හෝ පුරවැසිභාවය ලැබූ හෝ නවසීලන්ත පුරවැසිභාවයට සුදුසුකම් ලැබූ අය විය යුතු බව සඳහන්.

වසර 10 ක වීසා කාලයකින් පසුව මෙම වීසා ලාභීන් හට නැවත වීසා අයදුම් කිරීමට අවස්ථාවක් නැති අතර ස්ථිර පදිංචිය ලබා ගැනීමටද හැකියාවක් නොපවතින බව වාර්තා වේ.

මේ වන විට ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාව තුළට පැමිණීමට ඉඩ ලබා දෙන දෙමාපිය වීසා,Aged Parent visa, Contributory Parent (Temporary) සහ Permanent Contributory Parent visa යනුවෙන් ඛාණ්ඩ කිහිපයක් ඔස්සේ ක්‍රියාත්මක වේ.

Source - http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/sinhalese/si/article/2017/05/05/breaking-news-new-visa-migrant-parents-stay-australia-10-years-20000?language=si&cx_navSource=related-side-cx#cxrecs_s

Sri Lanka visa application centre

2017-05-04T05:50:00.004+05:30

Sri Lanka - Colombo

Sri Lanka visa application centre address. You can post or drop your visa application and passport into this office.

3rd Floor, No 28,

Abdeen Jewelers Building

Temple lane, Off Duplication Road

Colombo 03

Sri Lanka

Visa Application Centre website

Essential Skills in Demand List - February 2017

2017-05-04T05:36:00.001+05:30

Essential Skills in Demand List review 2016
Thursday, 9 February 2017

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has completed its annual review of two of the Essential Skills in Demand (ESID) Lists – the Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) and the Immediate Skill Shortage List (ISSL). The Ministry regularly reviews the ESID lists to ensure that they meet the changing needs of the labour market, and to ensure opportunities for New Zealanders first.

Long Term Skill Shortage List

The LTSSL identifies occupations that have an absolute (sustained and ongoing) shortage of skilled workers both globally and throughout New Zealand. Migrants who gain employment in one of these occupations may be granted a work visa under the LTSSL Work to Residence or Essential Skills instructions. Migrants applying for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category may gain bonus points towards their application if they have an offer of employment, work experience or qualifications in an area of absolute skill shortage identified on the LTSSL.

The outcomes of the review of the LTSSL are to:

remove the following occupations for which there is no longer a shortage:

Registered Nurse (Aged Care) (this has been added to the ISSL for all regions of New Zealand)
Registered Nurse (Critical Care and Emergency)
Registered Nurse (Medical)
Registered Nurse (Perioperative)
Ship's Engineer
Ship's Master
Ship's Officer

retain Chef on the LTSSL.

Immediate Skill Shortage List

The outcomes of the review of the ISSL are to:

add the following 7 occupations:

Bricklayer (a)
Cabler (Data and Telecommunications) (c)
Composite Technician (c)
Floor Finisher (b)
Stonemason(a)
Telecommunications Cable Jointer (c)
Telecommunications Technician (c)

(a) only for the Auckland/Upper North Island region.

(b) only for the Auckland/Upper North Island and Waikato/Bay of Plenty regions.

remove the following 2 occupations for which there is no longer a shortage:

Registered Nurse (Mental Health)
Upholsterer

Submissions to move Apiarist from ISSL to the LTSSL have been declined.

Timing of changes

The ESID changes will take effect on 27 February 2017. Further work is currently being carried out to review the requirements which migrants need to satisfy to apply for a work visa or a residence visa using the skill shortage lists. This includes a review of qualifications in association with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, and some other changes to ensure that the requirements for using the lists are appropriate for the shortages.

Effect on Skilled Migrant residence applicants

If you are currently seeking New Zealand residence through the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC), the changes to the LTSSL could affect you.

If you have an expression of interest in the SMC pool on 27 February 2017, and have claimed points for an occupation or qualification in an area of absolute skills shortage, you should check that you are still eligible for the points you have claimed. The updated LTSSL will apply to your expression of interest.
If your expression of interest was selected from the pool before 27 February 2017, or if you have already been invited to apply or have applied under the SMC you will not be affected by these changes. The LTSSL that was in place before 27 February will apply to your application.

Other immigration options

Removal from a skill shortage list does not mean that migrants cannot come to New Zealand. Other immigration options are available for employers and prospective migrants. These include:

Essential Skills Work Visa policy – (subject to an employer demonstrating that they have tried to recruit New Zealanders for the position and been unsuccessful).
Essential Skills

Accredited Employer – facilitating recruitment of skilled workers from overseas where the salary is at least NZ$55,000 per annum. This option provides a pathway to residence.
Accredited Employer

Approval in Principle – where a number of migrants are being sought.
Approval in Principle

Skilled Migrant Category – under which migrants can apply for residence in New Zealand.
Skilled Migrant Category

The Canterbury Skills and Employment Hub can facilitate employment of New Zealanders in Canterbury, and if there are no suitable applicants, can facilitate visa applications for migrant workers. Also, the Canterbury Skill Shortage List contains some occupations in shortage for the Canterbury rebuild (in addition those on the ISSL and LTSSL).

The Canterbury Skills and Employment Hub

Other matters

The Essential Skills in Demand Lists are reviewed and updated regularly in order to ensure that the Ministry’s policy is flexible and responsive to changing economic and labour market conditions. As part of reviews, information is gathered from submissions made by external stakeholders and this is considered alongside economic, labour market and immigration data. It is important that the lists reflect genuine skill shortages so New Zealanders are not disadvantaged in seeking employment and training.

You can test whether an occupation is on any of the three shortage lists or on the list of occupations recognised for residence applications under the Skilled Migrant Category by using the skill shortage list checker. This provides information and the requirements for each of the lists.

Skill shortage list checker

We expect the next ESID review to commence in April 2017.

The latest review of the Canterbury Skill Shortage List in November 2016 resulted in no changes.

VAC service fee increase - April 2017

2017-05-04T05:25:00.003+05:30

VAC service fee increase
Wednesday, 26 April 2017On 1 May 2017 the service fee payable to a number of Visa Application Centres (VACs) will increase. Service fees payable to VACs in the following locations will be changing:

India
Sri Lanka
Fiji
Papua New Guinea
Solomon Islands
New Caledonia
Vanuatu
Nauru

To ensure you pay the correct fee check the following webpages before submitting your application:
TT Services
INZ Fee Finder

Skilled Migrant Category changes - April 2017

2017-04-23T16:47:00.000+05:30

Skilled Migrant Category changesWednesday, 19 April 2017
The Government has announced a package of changes designed to better manage immigration and improve the labour market contribution of temporary and permanent migration.

Two remuneration thresholds are being introduced for applicants applying for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC). One will be set at the New Zealand median income of $48,859 a year for jobs that are currently considered skilled. The other threshold will be set at 1.5 times the New Zealand median income of $73,299 a year for jobs that are not currently considered skilled but are well paid.

The automatic selection mark for applicants under the SMC was increased from 140 points to 160 in October last year and the Government has now realigned the points system to put more emphasis on characteristics associated with better outcomes for migrants.

More points will be available for skilled work experience and some recognised post graduate qualifications, and points for age will increase for applicants aged 30-39.

Points will no longer be available for qualifications in areas of absolute skills shortage, for employment, work experience and qualifications in Identified Future Growth Areas and for close family in New Zealand.

The changes will be implemented in mid-August 2017.

Read the Minister of Immigration's media release

Questions and answers

How is the SMC changing?

Amendments are being made to the Skilled Migrant Category to improve the skill composition and ensure we are attracting migrants who bring the most economic benefits to New Zealand. The changes affect many aspects of the policy, including changes to:

The way that ‘skilled employment’ and ‘work experience’ are assessed and awarded points.
The points awarded for qualifications and age.
Points for some factors will be removed.

When will the changes come into effect?

14 August 2017.

Are the changes designed to allow fewer people to be granted residence under the SMC?

While there will be an impact on some people in low paid employment, the changes expand the definition of skilled employment to allow some people to obtain residence who have previously been unable to claim points for their employment in New Zealand – people who are not currently considered to be in skilled employment because their job is not in an Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) skill level 1, 2 or 3 occupation will be able to claim points for their job if they are earning $73,299 or more per year.

Will particular types of applicants benefit from the changes?

The changes put more focus on skilled work experience, more recognition of skill levels in the 30-39 age group and high salary levels.

What are the specific changes in each policy area?

Skilled employment

The same number of points will be awarded for both an offer of skilled employment and current skilled employment in New Zealand.
Remuneration thresholds are being introduced as an additional means of defining skilled employment.
Applicants with jobs at ANZSCO skill levels 1, 2 and 3 will only be awarded points for their employment if they are paid at or above NZ$48,859 per year (or NZ$23.49 per hour).
Applicants with jobs that are not in ANZSCO skill level 1, 2 or 3 occupations may be assessed as being in skilled employment if they are paid at or above NZ$73,299 per year (or NZ$35.24 per hour).
Bonus points will be awarded for remuneration at or above NZ$97,718.00 per year (or NZ$46.98 per hour)
Remuneration thresholds will be updated annually based on New Zealand income data.

Work experience

More points will be available for work experience.
Points will be awarded for skilled work experience in ANZSCO skill level 1, 2 and 3 occupations.
Points will be awarded for skilled New Zealand work experience of 12 months or more. There will be no additional points for work experience of two years or more.

Qualifications, age and partner’s qualifications

Points available for recognised level 9 or 10 post-graduate qualifications (Master’s degrees and Doctorates) will increase.
Points for people aged 30 – 39 years will increase.
Partner’s qualifications will only be awarded points if they are a recognised Bachelor’s level degree or higher or a recognised post-graduate (level 9 or higher) qualification.

Which factors will applicants no longer be able to gain points for?

Points for the following factors will be removed:

qualifications in an area of absolute skills shortage
skilled employment, work experience and qualifications in Identified Future Growth Areas
close family support in New Zealand

Are there any changes to the health, character or English language requirements?

No there are no changes to these aspects of the SMC instructions.

Why is the SMC changing?

The Government is committed to ensuring our immigration settings best support the economy and the labour market. These changes are designed to improve the skill composition of the SMC and ensure that it prioritises higher-paid and higher-skilled migrants.

Will the selection point change when the new SMC comes into effect?

The selection point is able to be adjusted by the Minister of Immigration as necessary for the overall planning range of the New Zealand Residence Programme, so the selection point may change from time to time. There is no information at the present time concerning where the selection point will be set when the adjusted Skilled Migrant Category is implemented.

Will the salary thresholds change?

The salary thresholds are based on information from New Zealand income data and will be reviewed annually.

I have already submitted my SMC application but it has not yet been finalised. What will happen to my application if it is not decided until after 14 August?

Because your application was submitted before 14 August it will continue to be assessed under the current instructions.

My SMC Expression of Interest (EoI) has been selected from the SMC Pool but I have not yet been invited to apply: if I obtain an invitation to apply before 14 August but do not submit my SMC residence application until after 14 August, can I be assessed under the current SMC instructions?

If your Invitation to Apply was issued on the basis of a selection from the SMC Pool before the policy change your application will be assessed under the SMC instructions that were in place at the time your EoI was selected, regardless of whether you application is submitted after 14 August. The application must be received within the standard four month limit.

If my EoI is selected from the SMC Pool before 14 August but is then returned to the Pool, what will happen to my EoI?

If your EoI has been selected from the Pool but is returned to the Pool because it does not meet the requirements for an Invitation to Apply, you will be able to edit and resubmit your EoI on the new EoI form, at no cost. The new form will reflect the new requirements. However if, as a result of the changes, you are no longer able to claim 100 points, your EoI will not be accepted into the Pool.

When will more detailed information be available about the changes to the SMC?

We hope to have more information available in June 2017.

How to change my name?

2017-04-06T15:58:00.002+05:30

Ever wonder how to change your name??? It's easy. Here is how.

Changing your name

https://www.govt.nz/browse/nz-passports-and-citizenship/changing-your-name/

Want Australian Permanent Residency? Tasmania might be your gateway

2017-03-27T13:23:00.000+05:30

People interested in migrating to Australian may be able to make their home in Tasmania as the state offers arguably the most convenient pathway to permanent residency - and citizenship.

Those who want to call Australia home are often left dejected as their line of work does not fall under the government’s Skilled Occupation List (SOL), but Tasmania has provided answer to their problem.

In Tasmania, there is no occupation ceiling, so if your occupation is not present in the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) you still have hundreds of more options. Moreover, the state is also willing to sponsor you.

There are of course, strings attached. With certain terms and conditions to meet for receiving nomination from the state. Read more here.

The state has broadened the spectrum to accept applications from candidates whose occupations fall under the State Migration Plan as well as Consolidated Skilled Occupations List (CSOL).

This has allowed professionals from hundreds of more occupations to migrate to Australia, with the willing to sponsor them.

In order to migrate to Tasmania, you can apply for following visas:

Skilled Independent Subclass 189
Skilled Nominated Subclass 190
Skilled Regional (Provisional) Subclass 489

Applicants must meet both the Department of Immigration and Border Protection requirements and the Tasmanian Government state nomination requirements in order to be eligible for state sponsored visas including, but not limited to, meeting a skills assessment against specified occupations, having a recognised level of English language abilities, and meeting a minimum score on the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s ‘Points Test’.

You can check your eligibility from this interactive points calculator:

https://www.migration.tas.gov.au/points_calculator

The air travel time from Melbourne to Tasmania is one hour; and Sydney to Tasmania is 2 hours.

More information can be found here: https://www.migration.tas.gov.au/skilled_migrants

http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/urdu/en/article/2017/02/22/want-australian-permanent-residency-tasmania-might-be-your-gateway

ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ ස්ථිර පදිංචිය ලබා ගැනීම සඳහා ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු සංක්‍රමණික වැඩසටහන යටතේ හෝ මානුෂීය වැඩසටහන යටතේ ඔබට අයදුම් කළ හැකි වේ

2017-03-27T13:18:00.001+05:30

ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවට පැමිණීමට ඔබට ප්‍රධාන මාර්ග දෙකක් තිබේ. තාවකාලික වීසා (temporary visa) එක් ක්‍රමයක් වන අතර ස්ථිර සංක්‍රමණය (permanent migration) අනෙක් ක්‍රමය වේ.

එම මාර්ග ද්විත්වය යටතේ ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවට පැමිණීමට උප මාර්ග කිහිපයක්ම ඇත.

ජාත්‍යන්තර ශිෂ්‍යන් ලෙස, නිපුනතා සේවකයන් ලෙස සහ working holidays යන ආකාර යටතේ තාවකාලික සංක්‍රමණිකයන් ලෙස ඔබට ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවට පැමිණීමට හැකිය.

ඔබට ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ ස්ථිර පදිංචිය ලබා ගැනීම සඳහා ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු සංක්‍රමණික වැඩසටහන යටතේ හෝ මානුෂීය වැඩසටහන යටතේ ඔබට අයදුම් කළ හැකි වේ.

නමුත් එම වැඩසටහන් ද්විත්වය යටතේ වුවද මාර්ග කිහිපයක් ඔස්සේ ඔබට අයදුම් කිරීමට අවස්ථාව සලසා දී ඇත.

Application for a renewal of Passport form Australia or New Zealand

2017-03-12T11:38:00.000+05:30

Application for a renewal of Passport

http://www.slhcaust.org/application-for-a-renewal-of-passport/

A Sri Lankan Passport is initially issued for a period of five (05) years, after which it can be extended for a further 05 years. Should the existing passport have no pages left for visa endorsements, even though still valid, a new passport must be APPLIED for.

Please download Application “O” and comply with the following instructions:

Download

Form “O” – Application for Amending a Sri Lankan Travel Document

Check list:

Send your current Sri Lanka passport.
For people who have been on a permanent residence visa in Australia (two or more years) or in New Zealand (three or more years), a CERTIFICATE of Evidence of Residence Status (referred to as CERTIFICATE of Denial in New Zealand) will need to be sent with your application. This CERTIFICATE can be obtained by contacting the Australian Department of Immigration or Department of Internal Affairs in New Zealand.
Those who hold dual citizenship should submit their dual citizenship Certificate (original) instead of the above certificate.
If the applicant is in Australia on a STUDENT VISA, a letter from the University or the Institution in which he/she is STUDYING.
Applicant/s should place his/her signature and date without affixing a stamp.
Applicant should give their current residential address and not their Sri Lankan address
Request in writing with contact details: Tel. no., E-mal address and Fax no. (if available)

Renewal fees:

A$ 3.40 per each year up to A$ 17.00 for five years
Postage charges:

within Australia A$ 5.00
outside Australia A$ 25.00 ((New Zealand, PNG, Fiji, Solomon Island, Vanuatu)

PAYMENT METHODS:

Please make all payments payable to ‘The Sri Lanka High Commission’, Payments can only be made by:

MONEY ORDER

BANK Cheque ( Personal cheques are not acceptable )
BANK Draft
The application/s should be sent to:

The Sri Lanka High Commission
61, Hampton Circuit, Yarralumla,

Canberra, ACt 2600

Telephone: (02) 61983756
Fax : (02) 61983760

Applying for an Australia Awards Scholarship

2017-03-08T13:29:00.001+05:30

Australia Awards Scholarships in Sri Lanka Australia Awards Scholarships are prestigious international awards offered by the Australian Government to the next generation of global leaders for development. Through study and research, recipients develop the skills and knowledge to drive change and help build enduring people-to-people links with Australia.

http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Pages/sri-lanka-information-for-intake.aspx

Sri Lankans can apply for Commonwealth Scholarships, for postgraduate study in New Zealand universities.

2017-02-25T12:15:00.000+05:30

ශ්රී ලාංකිකයන් නවසීලන්ත විශ්ව විද්යාල තුල පශ්චාත් උපාධි අධ්යයනය සඳහා, පොදු රාජ්ය මණ්ඩලීය ශිෂ්යත්ව සඳහා අයදුම් කළ හැකිය.

The New Zealand Aid Programme offers scholarships to people from South Asia who are motivated to make a difference at home.

Applications open in early 2017 for tertiary study beginning early 2018. Read Application dates for more information.

https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/aid-and-development/scholarships/who-can-apply-for-a-scholarship-3/south-asia-scholarships-2/

ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ ස්ථිර පදිංචිය ලබා ගැනීම තවමත් ඔබට ප්‍රශ්නයක්ද? ටස්මේනියාවෙන් එයට කදිම පිළිතුරක්. (SBS සිංහල/වාර්තා)

2017-02-25T11:55:00.002+05:30

ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවට සංක්‍රමණය වීමට අපේක්ෂා කරන හෝ මේ වන විට සංක්‍රමණය වී ඇති පිරිස් හට ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ ස්ථිර පදිංචිය සහ පුරවැසිභාවය ලබා ගැනීමට පහසුම මග ටස්මේනියාව වේ.

ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ වෙසෙන ඔබගේ රැකියාව මධ්‍යම රජයේ නිපුණතා රැකියා ලැයිස්තුවේ හෙවත් Skilled Occupation List (SOL) හි නොමැති වීම හේතුවෙන් බොහෝ දෙනෙකුට ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ ස්ථිර පදිංචිය ලබා ගැනීමට අපහසු වී තිබේ.

නමුත් ටස්මේනියාව ඊට පිළිතුරක් සපයයි.

ටස්මේනියාවේ නිශ්චිත රැකියා ලැයිස්තුවක් ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කර නොමැති අතර ඔබගේ රැකියාව මධ්‍යම රජයේ නිපුණතා රැකියා ලැයිස්තුවේ හෙවත් Skilled Occupation List (SOL) හි නොමැති වුවත් ඔබට ටස්මේනියාවේ අවස්ථාව ලබා ගත හැකිවේ.

මීට අමතරව ටස්මේනියානු ප්‍රාන්තය ඔබට අනුග්‍රහය දැක්වීමටද අපේක්ෂාවෙන් සිටියි.

මෙලෙස ටස්මේනියානු ප්‍රාන්තයෙන් ඔබට නිර්දේශයක් ලබා ගැනීමට ඒ සඳහා බල පැවැත්වෙන කොන්දේසි කිහිපයක් ද තිබේ.

ඒ අනුව ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාව තුළ ක්‍රියාත්මක State Migration Plan හෙවත් ප්‍රාන්ත සංක්‍රමණික සැලැස්ම සහ Consolidated Skilled Occupations List හෙවත් CSOL යටතේ ටස්මේනියානු ප්‍රාන්තය අයදුම් පත් අනුමත කරයි.

මෙම පටිපාටිය තුළ සිය ගණනක් රැකියා වර්ග සහ වෘත්තීන් තිබෙන බැවින් අනුග්‍රහය සහිතව ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවට සංක්‍රමණය කිරීමට පුළුල් පරාසයක වෘත්තීයවේදීන් හට අවස්ථාව සැලසේ.

ටස්මේනියාවට සංක්‍රමණය වීමට නම් ඔබ පහත සඳහන් වීසා වර්ග වලින් එකකට අයදුම් කළ යුතු වේ.

Skilled Independent Subclass 189
Skilled Nominated Subclass 190
Skilled Regional (Provisional) Subclass 489

අයදුම්කරුවන් හට මේ සඳහා අයදුම් කිරීමට අවම වශයෙන් ප්‍රසාද ලකුණු 60 ක් අවශ්‍ය වේ.

ඉහත සඳහන් වර්ගීකරණයට අමතරව අයදුම් කරුවන්ට පහත පරිදි ද ලකුණු රැස් කළ හැකිවේ.

වයස සඳහා - උපරිම ලකුණු 30
ඉංග්‍රීසි දැනුම සඳහා - උපරිම ලකුණු 20
ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු අධ්‍යාපනය සඳහා - උපරිම ලකුණු 5
ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ ප්‍රාදේශීය ප්‍රදේශයක අධ්‍යාපනය ලැබීම වෙනුවෙන් - උපරිම ලකුණු 5
අධ්‍යාපන සුදුසකම් සඳහා - උපරිම ලකුණු 20
Professional year සඳහා - උපරිම ලකුණු 5
විදේශයන්හි සේවා අත්දැකීම් සඳහා - උපරිම ලකුණු 15
ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු සේවා අත්දැකීම් සඳහා - උපරිම ලකුණු 20
සහකරුගේ නිපුණතා සුදුසකම් සඳහා - උපරිම ලකුණු 5
නියම කරන ලද භාෂා ප්‍රවීනත්වය සඳහා - උපරිම ලකුණු 5

ඔබගේ තත්ත්වය අනුව ඔබට හිමි ප්‍රසාද ලකුණු ප්‍රමාණය පහත වෙබ් ලිපිනයනේ ගණනය කළ හැකි වේ.

https://www.migration.tas.gov.au/points_calculator

වැඩි විස්තර පහත වෙබ් ලිපිනයෙන් ලබා ගැනීමට හැකිය.

https://www.migration.tas.gov.au/skilled_migrants

New Zealand Applications processed & approval rates

2016-12-14T03:39:00.002+05:30

India market - The India market has a young, ambitious population who are becoming increasingly affluent and mobile. This has led to significant growth in the number of Indian nationals seeking to study internationally. All student visa applications from Indian applicants, in addition to applicants from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan are assessed at the Mumbai Area Office.

Applications processed & approval rates - For year ending 30 June 2016

Approval rates for nationalities in the Indian region in the 2015 calendar year

Approval rates for nationalities in the Indian region from January to end of July 2016:

Indian nationals: 44.2%
Sri Lankan nationals: 63.6%
Nepalese nationals: 44.7%
Bangladesh nationals: 22.2%
Bhutan nationals: 33.3%

ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු වීසා සඳහා අයදුම් කිරීමේදී අතිශය වැදගත් වන කරුණු 10ක් (SBS සිංහල/වාර්තා)

2016-12-14T03:26:00.001+05:30

ඇතැම් අයදුම් පත් ප්‍රතික්ෂේප වීමට හේතුව ව්‍යාජ ලිපි ලේඛන ඉදිරිපත් කිරීම වන අතර අනෙක් බොහෝ අයදුම් පත් ප්‍රතික්ෂේප වන්නේ හුදෙක් සුළු වැරදි, නොදැනුවත් භාවය, නොගැලපෙන බව සහ වරදවා වටහා ගැනීම යන සුළු කරුණු නිසාවෙනි.

විවිධ වීසා ඛාණ්ඩ යටතේ ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවට පැමිණීම සඳහා ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු ආගමන හා දේශ සීමා ආරක්ෂණ දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව වෙත දහස් ගණන් ලැබෙන අයදුම් පත් අතරින් බොහෝ ප්‍රමාණයක් සාර්ථකත්වයට පත්වන අතර තවත් දහස් ගණනක් ප්‍රතික්ෂේප වෙයි.

ව්‍යාපාරික, සහකරු, පවුල්, ශිෂ්‍ය සහ රැකියා වීසා සඳහා අයදුම් කිරීම තරමක් සංකීර්ණ කටයුත්තක් වන අතර ඒ අනුව එය නිවැරදිව සිදු කිරීමට වග බලා ගත යුතුය.

මේ හේතුවෙන් එම පුද්ගලයන්ගේ ඉතා විශාල මුදල් ප්‍රමාණයක් මෙන්ම කාලයද නාස්ති වේ.

එනිසා, ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ වීසා සඳහා ඔබ අයදුම් කිරීමට අපේක්ෂා කරනවානම් පහත කරුණු 10 අතිශය වැදගත් බව මතකයේ තබා ගන්න.

01. සාක්ෂි ඉතා වැදගත්ය.

රැකියා, පවුල් සහ ව්‍යාපාරික වීසා සඳහා අයදුම් කිරීමේදී බොහෝ සාක්ෂි සැපයීමට ඔබට සිදුවේ.

ඔබගේ සහකරුවා අතර ඇති සම්බන්ධය ඔප්පු කර පෙන්වන සාක්ෂි, රැකියා සඳහා සුදුසුකම් මෙන්ම රැකියා ඉතිහාසය ඔප්පු කිරීමට සාක්ෂි සහ දේපළ පිළිබඳ සාක්ෂි ඒ අතර ප්‍රධාන වේ.

ඔබගේ අයදුම් පතත් සමග දක්වන සෑම කරුණක්ම සනාථ කිරීමට ඔබට සාක්ෂි සැපයීමට හැකි නම් එය අතිශයින්ම වැදගත් වේ. නමුත් එම සාක්ෂි වලංගු වීමද අවශ්‍යය.

ව්‍යාපාරික වීසා සඳහා නම් අවශ්‍ය සියලු ආදායම් - වියදම්, බැංකු වාර්තා, රිසිට් පත් සහ අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සියලු ගනුදෙනු ඔප්පු කිරීමට අදාළ ලිපි ලේඛන සැපයිය යුතුය.

රැකියා වීසා සඳහා නම් ඔබගේ වැටුප් වාර්තා, සේවක අර්ථ සාධක ගෙවුම් පත්, පත්වීමේ ලිපි, රැකියාවට අදාළ වැදගත් සියලු ලිපි ලේඛන ද සහකරුගේ හෝ පවුලේ වීසා සඳහා නම් අදාළ සම්බන්ධකම් සනාථ කිරීමට සැපයිය හැකි සියලු වලංගු සාක්ෂි ඉදිරිපත් කළ යුතුය.

2. ස්ථාවර විය යුතුය.

ඔබගේ අයදුම් පත සහ ඒ සමග ඇමුණු ලිපි ලේඛන පරීක්ෂා කරන අතරතුර ආගමන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව විසින් ඔබගේ පෙර වීසා සහ රජයේ වාර්තා යන සියල්ල එකට පරීක්ෂා කර බලයි.

එහිදී නොදැනුවත් භාවයෙන් හෝ වැරද්දක් සිදු වුවා නම් එය නොගැලපීමක් ලෙස සැලකෙන අතර එම හේතුවෙන් ඔබගේ අයදුම් පත්‍රය සලකා බැලීමේ කාලය දික් වන අතර ඔබට අමතර මුදලක්ද වැය වීමට ඉඩ තිබේ.

ඔබ එක් වීසා ඛාණ්ඩයක සිට තවත් වීසා ඛාණ්ඩයකට හෝ එම වීසා ඛාණ්ඩයම දික් කිරීමේදී මේ තත්ත්වය බරපතල ලෙස බලපායි.

3. නිවැරදි විය යුතුය.

නිරවද්‍ය භාවය අතිශය වැදගත් කරුණක් ලෙස වීසා අයදුම් කිරීමේදී සළකයි.

වීසා අයදුම් කිරීමේදී බොහෝ අයදුම් කරුවන් සුළු සුළු වැරදි නිරතුරුවම සිදු කරන බව පෙනී ගොස් තිබේ.

ඔබගේ අයදුම් පතෙහි නිරවද්‍යභාවය 99%ක්ම ඔබටම මැනීමට අපහසුය. එනිසා අයදුම් කිරීමට මත්තෙන් තවත් අයෙකු ලවා එය පරීක්ෂා කිරීමෙන් බොහෝ සුළු වැරදි හසු කරගත හැකිය.

විශේෂයෙන්ම දින වකවානු මෙහිදී වැදගත් තැනක් ගනී.

4. අවංක වන්න.

ඔබගේ වීසා ක්‍රියාවලිය අවසන් වන තුරුම අවංකව ක්‍රියා කිරීමට උත්සාහ කරන්න. යම් හෙයකින් ඔබ වංක ලෙස කටයුතු කර තිබෙන බව හසු වුවහොත් ඔබගේ වීසා ප්‍රතික්ෂේප වනවා පමණක් නොව ඔබට අනාගතයේදී ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු වීසා සඳහා අයදුම් කිරීම තහනම් කිරීමට දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවට අයිතියක් ඇත.

අනෙක් කරුණ නම්, සාක්ෂි සනාථ කිරීම සඳහා ව්‍යාජ ලිපි ලේඛන යොමු කිරීමද ඉහත ප්‍රතිපල අත් කර දෙන සිදුවීමකි.

5. හොඳින් සූදානම් වන්න.

ඔබ අයදුම් කිරීමට පෙර ඒ සඳහා හොඳින් සූදානම් වී සියලු ලිපි ලේඛන සහ සාක්ෂි පිළිවෙලින් යුතුව යොමු කිරීම තවත් වැදගත් කරුණකි. එමගින් ඔබගේ අයදුම් පත පරීක්ෂා කරනු ලබන නිලධාරියාට පහසු වන අතර ඔබගේ අයදුම් පතේ පරීක්ෂණ කටයුතු ඉක්මනින් සිදු කිරීමට පිටිවහලක් සපයනු ඇත.

ඇතැම් අයදුම්පත් තැපෑලෙන් යැවිය යුතු අතර ඒවා සඳහා සියලු ලිපි ලේඛන එකට ගොනු කර “Check List” එකක් මගින් ඒවා නිරූපණය කිරීම තවත් පහසු කටයුත්තකි.

අන්තර්ජාලය ඔස්සේ අයදුම් කිරීමේදීද එය එලෙසින්ම අදාළ වේ.

උදාහරණ ලෙස මුල් පිටපත් වල ඡායා පිටපත් සත්‍ය පිටපත් බවට සනාථ කර යැවීමට අවශ්‍ය නම් සනාථ කළ පිටපත් මිස මුල් පිටපත් නොයැවිය යුතුය.

අන්තර් ජාලය ඔස්සේ ලිපි ලේඛන යොමු කිරීමේදී සෑම ලිපි ලේඛනයක්ම අදාළ නමින් ලේබල් කිරීම වඩා යෝග්‍ය වේ.

6. සාමාජ මාධ්‍ය ජාල ගිණුම් සහ ප්‍රසිද්ධ සටහන් වල නොගැලපීම් පිළිබඳ සැළකිලිමත් වන්න.

ආගමන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව බොහෝ විට ඔබගේ සමාජ ජාල ගිණුම් සහ ප්‍රසිද්ධ සටහන් පරීක්ෂා කර බලා ඔබ සැපයු තොරතුරු සත්‍ය දැයි තහවුරු කරගැනීමට ඉඩ තිබේ.

මීට අමතරව ඔබ අධ්‍යාපනය ලැබූ බව සඳහන් කළ අධ්‍යාපනික ආයතන වලට පවා අමතා ඒ ඒ සුදුසුකම් නිවැරදි දැයි ද ඔවුන් සොයා බලයි.

එනිසා අයදුම් පත සමග ඔබ සපයන සියලු කරුණු ඔබගේ අනෙක් ප්‍රකාශන වලින්ද එලෙසම නිරූපණය කිරීමට සෑම විටම වග බලා ගත යුතුය.

7. කාලය සහ අවසන් කාල සීමාවන් පිළිබඳ අවධානයෙන් සිටින්න.

ඔබගේ අයදුම් පත යොමු කිරීමේ අවසන් කාලය සහ අදාළ යොමු කිරීමේ නීති පිළිබඳව දැනුවත්ව සිටිය යුතුය.

ඇතැම් විට අවසන් කාල සීමාව සුළුවෙන් පමා වී යොමු කළ අයදුම් පත් ප්‍රතික්ෂේප වන්නේ ඔබගේ මුළු උත්සාහයම අපතේ යවමිනි.

8. විස්තර සඳහා ඔබගේ අවධානය යොමු කරන්න.

සපයා ඇති විස්තර සහ උපදෙස් වෙත අවධානය හරි හැටි යොමු නොකිරීමෙන් ඔබගේ අයදුම් පත වැරදි මාර්ගයට යොමු වීමට බොහෝ ඉඩකඩ ඇත.

සෑම විටම ලබාදී ඇති උපදෙස් හොඳින් කියවා අවබෝධ කරගැනීමෙන් අනතුරුව ඊළඟ පියවර වෙත යන්න. යම් ගැටළු සහගත තැනක් හමුවූ විට දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව අමතන්න.

9. ඔබ නිවැරදි වීසා ඛාණ්ඩ යට අයදුම් කරන්න.

මෙය තරමක විහිළුවක් සේ ඔබට සිතිය හැකිය. නමුත් බොහෝ විට එකම අංශයේ විවිධ ඛාණ්ඩ යටතේ වීසා වර්ග කිහිපයක් තිබිය හැකිය.

ඒ අතරින් තමන් හට ගැලපෙන වීසා වර්ගය තෝරාගෙන අයදුම් කිරීම වඩා සුදුසු වේ. උදාහරණයක් ලෙස 485 Skilled Graduation හෝ Visa 485 Post Graduate Visa දැක්විය හැකිය.

10. ලියාපදිංචි ඒජන්තවරයකු පමණක් හමු වන්න.

ඔබ ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු වීසා හෝ ආගමන කටයුතු පිළිබඳ නීති රීති පිළිබඳ දැනගැනීමට ඒජන්තවරයකු හමුවී අපේක්ෂා කරනවානම් ලියාපදිංචි ඒජන්තවරයකු පමණක් හමුවන්න.

ඒජන්තවරයකු හරහා වීසා අයදුම් කිරීමේ කටයුතු පහසුවෙන් සහ වේගයෙන් සිදු කිරීමට හැකි නමුත් එය අත්‍යවශ්‍යම කරුණක් නොවන බව දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව පවසයි.

ලියා පදිංචි ඒජන්තවරයකු සොයා ගැනීමට මෙන්ම ඔවුන්ට එරෙහිව පැමිණිල්ලක් කිරීමට ඔබට අවශ්‍යනම් https://www.mara.gov.au/search-the-register-of-migration-agents/ ලිපිනයනේ ඒ සඳහා ද ඔබට පහසුකම් සපයා ඇත.

Source- http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/sinhalese/si/article/2016/12/12/osttreeliyaanu-viisaa-sndhaa-aydum-kiriimeedii-atishy-vaedgt-vn-krunnu-10k-sbs?language=si&cx_navSource=related-side-cx#cxrecs_s

No more, "Parent Resident Visa"?

2016-12-09T15:11:00.003+05:30

Parent Resident VisaYou may be able to move to New Zealand to join your adult New Zealand citizen or resident child. You’ll need to send us an expression of interest explaining how you’ll meet the requirements for tier one or tier two of our two-tiered system and be sponsored by your child. If we invite you to apply for residence and your application is successful, you’ll be able to live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely.This visa category has being closed temporarily until further notice by the immigration New Zealand.Source- https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/about-visa/parent-resident-visa

What is an e Visa?

2016-12-09T14:53:00.000+05:30

e Visas

If you apply online, you may be granted an electronic visa (or eVisa). An eVisa is a visa issued without a physical label.

If you apply online, you may be granted an electronic visa (eVisa). This means you will not have a physical visa label in your passport.

You’ll be told by email when your application has been decided. You can log into your Immigration Online account to see the decision.

If your application is successful, your visa approval letter will include your visa details. If you have an immigration adviser or lawyer, you’ll receive your visa approval letter from them. You should print your eVisa letter, keep it in a safe place, and carry it with you when you travel to New Zealand.

Travelling to New Zealand

Verifying your visa status

Even if we don’t put a visa label in your passport, employers or education providers can check if you are eligible to work or study in New Zealand using our VisaView system.

You can also authorise other organisations, such as banks and health care providers, to view the details of your current visa through our Visa Verification Service.

VisaView
Visa Verification Service

Requirements to enter, exit and transit other countries

Some countries have specific entry, exit and transit visa requirements. If you’re transiting or exiting through another country, it is your responsibility to check with the relevant government authorities, your airline or your travel agent about departure or transit requirements.

If you hold an eVisa, there are many ways to show details of your New Zealand visa while travelling overseas. You can:

Show a copy of your visa approval notification
Log into your Immigration Online account, or the Visa Verification Service to show a copy of your visa details (including on a mobile device)
Advise the government official your visa details so that they can log into the Visa Verification Service
Request a physical label from Immigration New Zealand (this is a separate application, and a fee applies)

source - https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/our-online-systems/applying-for-a-visa-online/immigration-online/evisas

Four new work visas to come to Australia

2016-10-07T15:05:00.003+05:30

http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/sinhalese/si/article/2016/10/07/four-new-work-visas-come-australia-sbs-sinhalesearticle?language=si

This new visa subclass will allow applicants to come to Australia for temporary work or specified activity.

Dinesha Dilrukshi Wijesuriy

Source:

Department of Immigration and Border Protection

7 OCT 2016 - 6:06 PM UPDATED 1 HOUR AGO

The Australian Government has proposed new temporary activity visa framework which it plans to implement from 19th November 2016, subject to approval by the Governor-General.

From 19 November 2016, there would be four new visa subclasses:

Subclass 400 Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa
Subclass 403 Temporary Work (International Relations) visa
Subclass 407 Training visa
Subclass 408 Temporary Activity visa.

The new framework is designed to make applying for a temporary visa easier. It would reduce red tape for business, industry and individuals by removing sponsorship and nomination requirements for specific short stay activities.

This means, applicants will be:

able to lodge visa applications online through ImmiAccount
a single sponsorship (temporary activities sponsor) would replace six existing sponsorship types (long stay activity, training and research, professional development, entertainment, special programme and superyacht crew)

On 19 November 2016, the new visa subclasses would allow applicants to enter Australia for temporary work or a specified activity.

Subclass 400 Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa

This visa would be for people who want to come to Australia on a temporary basis to:

undertake short-term, highly specialised, non-ongoing work
in limited circumstances, participate in an activity or work relating to Australia’s interests.

Subclass 403 Temporary Work (International Relations) visa

This visa would be for people who want to come to Australia on a temporary basis:

in relation to a bilateral agreement
to represent a foreign government or to teach a foreign language in an Australian school
to undertake full-time domestic work for a diplomat
as a person with statutory privileges and immunities
to participate in the Seasonal Worker Programme.

Subclass 407 Training visa

This visa would be for people who want to come to Australia on a temporary basis to undertake occupational training or participate in classroom based professional development activities.

Subclass 408 Temporary Activity visa

This visa would be for people who want to come to Australia on a temporary basis to:

work in the entertainment industry
participate in a non-ongoing cultural or social activities at the invitation of an Australian organisation
observe or participate as an academic in a research project
undertake full-time religious work
participate in a special programme to enhance international relations and cultural exchange
participate in high-level sports (including training)
work in a skilled position under a staff exchange arrangement
participate in an Australian government endorsed event
work as a superyacht crew member
undertake full-time domestic work in the household of certain senior foreign executives.

The following diagram shows the proposed new temporary activity visa framework in more detail.

Dream of New Zealand

Immigration Online application enhancements

Skilled Migrant and Essential Skills policy – Changes to remuneration thresholds

Wednesday, 13 December 2017

Why are these changes occurring now?

What if I am a current Essential Skills work visa holder and my job does not meet the new threshold? What if I’m an employer and one of my staff hold a current visa but their wage does not meet the new threshold?

What if I apply or applied for a work visa under Essential Skills before 15 January 2018, but my application is not decided by then? Will Immigration New Zealand assess my skill level based on the old thresholds or the new ones?

If I am an employer who has already advertised and prepared to support an Essential Skills work visa, but the person cannot get his application in before 15 January 2018, what happens then?

What happens if I was invited to apply for the Skilled Migrant Category under the old thresholds?

Essential Skills in Demand List review 2017

Friday, 15 December 2017

Long Term Skill Shortage List

Retain two occupations that were included in the review

Immediate Skill Shortage List

Add 12 occupations

Remove five occupations

Retain five occupations that were included in the review

Timing of changes

Other immigration options

Other matters

ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාවට පැමිණීමට ඔබට ලබා ගත හැකි වීසා කාණ්ඩ මේවායි ..

3. Working Holiday වීසා

4. නවසීලන්ත ජාතිකයන්

6.මානුෂීය වීසා

Essential Skills work visa changes Thursday, 27 July 2017

Questions and answers

Why are we introducing remuneration bands and what will they be?

How many lower-skilled Essential Skills visa holders will be affected by the proposals?

How will employers be able to source the labour they need under the proposals?

Why has three years been chosen as the maximum duration for lower-skilled Essential Skills work visas?

How will the decision to limit lower-skilled Essential Skills visa holders to a maximum initial three-year period affect people already here?

Why are you restricting the ability of partners and children of lower-skilled migrant workers to come here?

Will the change affect families already here?

The new Kiwis - what kinds of people are becoming New Zealand citizens?

CITIZENSHIP FOR SALE?

THE RULES

නවසීලන්ත ආගමන නීති වෙනස්කම් සරලව

අඩු වියදම් ගුවන් ගමනක් යාමට සුදුසුම කාලය කුමක්ද?

Budget ගුවන් සේවාවන් සැමවිටම හොඳම විසඳුම් නොදෙයි.

ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු නව දෙමාපිය වීසා : වසර 10 යි. ඩොලර් 20,000 යි.

Sri Lanka visa application centre

Sri Lanka - Colombo

Sri Lanka visa application centre address. You can post or drop your visa application and passport into this office.

Essential Skills in Demand List - February 2017

Essential Skills in Demand List review 2016 Thursday, 9 February 2017

Long Term Skill Shortage List

Immediate Skill Shortage List

Timing of changes

Effect on Skilled Migrant residence applicants

Other immigration options

Other matters

VAC service fee increase - April 2017

VAC service fee increase Wednesday, 26 April 2017On 1 May 2017 the service fee payable to a number of Visa Application Centres (VACs) will increase. Service fees payable to VACs in the following locations will be changing:

Skilled Migrant Category changes - April 2017

Skilled Migrant Category changesWednesday, 19 April 2017 The Government has announced a package of changes designed to better manage immigration and improve the labour market contribution of temporary and permanent migration.

Skilled Migrant Category changesWednesday, 19 April 2017

Questions and answers

How is the SMC changing?

When will the changes come into effect?

Are the changes designed to allow fewer people to be granted residence under the SMC?

Will particular types of applicants benefit from the changes?

What are the specific changes in each policy area?

Which factors will applicants no longer be able to gain points for?

Are there any changes to the health, character or English language requirements?

Why is the SMC changing?

Will the selection point change when the new SMC comes into effect?

Will the salary thresholds change?

I have already submitted my SMC application but it has not yet been finalised. What will happen to my application if it is not decided until after 14 August?

My SMC Expression of Interest (EoI) has been selected from the SMC Pool but I have not yet been invited to apply: if I obtain an invitation to apply before 14 August but do not submit my SMC residence application until after 14 August, can I be assessed under the current SMC instructions?

If my EoI is selected from the SMC Pool before 14 August but is then returned to the Pool, what will happen to my EoI?

When will more detailed information be available about the changes to the SMC?

How to change my name?

Changing your name

Want Australian Permanent Residency? Tasmania might be your gateway

Application for a renewal of Passport form Australia or New Zealand

Application for a renewal of Passport

Applying for an Australia Awards Scholarship

Sri Lankans can apply for Commonwealth Scholarships, for postgraduate study in New Zealand universities.

New Zealand Applications processed & approval rates

Applications processed & approval rates - For year ending 30 June 2016

Essential Skills in Demand List review 2016
Thursday, 9 February 2017

VAC service fee increase
Wednesday, 26 April 2017On 1 May 2017 the service fee payable to a number of Visa Application Centres (VACs) will increase. Service fees payable to VACs in the following locations will be changing:

Skilled Migrant Category changesWednesday, 19 April 2017
The Government has announced a package of changes designed to better manage immigration and improve the labour market contribution of temporary and permanent migration.