Abeona Immigration Services

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Abeona Immigration Services

Welcome to Abeona Immigration Services. Explore how we can assist you by visiting abeona.co.nz. Kia ora and welcome!

Located in Kaikōura, we provide client centered and personalised NZ immigration solutions for both individuals and employers. I am Audrey Avry, Licensed Immigration Adviser and founder of Abeona, based in the stunning town of Kaikōura, New Zealand. My own journey as a migrant inspired me to establish this consultancy, combining my passion for immigration law with a deep commitment to helping others. I hold a Bachelor of Laws from France and have gained extensive experience in compliance roles across various sectors, including with a Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a commercial law firm, a consumer association, and more recently a prominent New Zealand immigration consultancy. This diverse experience has given me a thorough understanding of compliance and Aotearoa’s immigration system, allowing me to offer well-rounded advice. Having personally applied for multiple work visas and achieved residency in New Zealand, I understand the challenges you may face. Now a proud resident myself, I am dedicated to helping others achieve their own immigration goals and contribute positively to the diversity of this beautiful whenua (land).

04/10/2026

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐙𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫? 𝐀 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝟏𝟔 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫.

From 16 November 2026, new applications for these temporary visas can be made through Immigration New Zealand's enhanced Immigration Online system:

Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa
Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa
Child of a New Zealander Visitor Visa
Child of a New Zealander Student Visa

Some of the rules behind these visas are also being updated from the same date, including a longer maximum visitor visa for children of New Zealanders (12 months, up from 9). The full detail hasn't been published yet.

Residence applications for partners and children are not changing for now.

If you're planning to apply around mid-November and aren't sure how this affects you, you're welcome to get in touch.

01/10/2026

𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐙𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫? 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫.

Summer is one of INZ's busiest times. Last summer it received around 284,000 visitor visa applications, and more applications can mean longer processing times.

A complete application helps avoid delays. The checklist below covers what to check before you submit.

Not everyone needs a visitor visa. Some travellers may be able to use an NZeTA instead, so check before making travel arrangements.

Unsure what your family member needs? You're welcome to get in touch.

01/10/2026

𝐒𝐢𝐱 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥.

If your current job or job offer is one of these, this particular pathway is closed to you:

▪️ Retail Manager (General) and Hospitality, Retail and Service Manager
▪️ Massage Therapist
▪️ Beauty Therapist
▪️ Hair or Beauty Salon Manager
▪️ Hairdresser

The same applies if your job sits at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5.

I want to be careful here, because this is where people misread things and give up too early:

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.

The Points-based pathway is still available. If you hold a relevant qualification or are paid well above the threshold (salary must be genuine and reflect your skills, experience and level of responsibility), this is the pathway you should be looking at.

For some people in these occupations, the Points-based pathway may actually provide a stronger option than the work-experience route would have.

What it does mean is that "keep working and the years will add up" is not a plan for these roles. If that was your assumption, now is the right time to change course.

If you're in one of these occupations and you're not sure what's left open to you, that's a conversation worth having sooner rather than later.

30/09/2026

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐚: 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟓 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

Immigration New Zealand has published Amendment Circular 2026-28. It changes the order INZ processes Parent Resident Visa applications in.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠
Until now, parent applications were processed in two separate streams. One was for people selected from the Queued Pool, and the other was for people selected from the Ballot Pool. From 5 October 2026, that split goes. Parent applications will be processed in order of lodgement date, like most other residence applications.

This fits with the other change on the same day, when the Ballot and Queued Pools merge into one Parent Category pool.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠
The eligibility rules for the Parent Resident Visa are the same.
Partnership and Dependent Child residence applications are still processed ahead of parent applications.
The date your application was lodged still decides which rules apply to it.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮
If you've already lodged a parent residence application, your place in the processing order now depends only on when you lodged it. How that affects your timeframe depends on your case.

If you have a Parent Category expression of interest (EOI) in the pool, or you're thinking about applying, get in touch. I can explain how both changes apply to your situation.

📩 Message me or book a consultation.

28/09/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐙𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝? 🤔

According to Immigration New Zealand's latest estimate (as at 1 July 2026), the top 6 are:

1️⃣ China: 2,694
2️⃣ Tonga: 2,541
3️⃣ United States: 1,981
4️⃣ India: 1,522
5️⃣ Samoa: 1,462
6️⃣ Great Britain: 1,117

Did the United States and Great Britain surprise you? They surprise a lot of people.

Overall, about 19,153 people are estimated to be in New Zealand on an expired visa, down 8.7% from last year.

The big numbers mostly reflect how many people come here in the first place. Nearly a million Americans arrived on temporary visas in the last three years, and only about 0.1% of them overstayed.

So overstaying isn't a "certain country" problem. It can happen to anyone who loses track of an expiry date, has a job fall through, or leaves their next application too late.

The fix is to plan ahead:

✅ Know your visa expiry date.
✅ If you're applying for another visa, apply before your current one expires.
✅ If your visa has already expired, get advice early. Your options are limited, but they may not be gone.

If you're unsure where you stand, you're welcome to get in touch.

Sources: INZ — 2026 estimate of people who have overstayed their visa released

25/09/2026

𝐋𝐨𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝟒:𝟑𝟎𝐩𝐦. 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝟕:𝟑𝟎𝐩𝐦. ✅

I lodged a High-Volume Accreditation renewal application earlier this afternoon, and it was approved just three hours later, a very quick turnaround!

I'll be honest: that's not typical, and I'd never promise a turnaround like that. Processing times vary, and a lot of it is outside anyone's control.

What is in your control is how ready your application is when it goes in. For a renewal, that means:

🔹 Checking you still meet every accreditation requirement before you lodge
🔹 Having your evidence ready, complete and consistent
🔹 Making sure you've kept up your obligations as an accredited employer

A complete, well-prepared application gives INZ fewer reasons to come back with questions. Questions from INZ are usually what slows an application down.

If your accreditation is coming up for renewal, it's worth starting early. Don't wait until it's about to expire.

If you'd like help checking where your business stands, you're welcome to get in touch.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

25/09/2026

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝟏𝟖 𝐨𝐫 𝟏𝟗, 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲.

From 25 September 2026, INZ has new age and evidence rules for partnership-based visas.

What's changed?

✔️ Both partners must be 18 or older when the application is made.
✔️ INZ will only count relationship evidence from after both of you turned 18.

What does this mean in practice?

🏡 Partnership residence: You still need to have lived together for at least 12 months. That 12 months can now only start once you're both 18. So in practice, neither of you can qualify until you're both at least 19.

Which visas are affected?

Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa
Partner of a New Zealander (Resident, Visitor and Work Visas)
Partner of a Worker (Visitor and Work Visas)
Partner of a Student (Visitor and Work Visas)
Partner of an NZ Scholarship Student Work Visa

If you're unsure how this affects your timing or your partner's visa, you're welcome to get in touch and we can go through your situation together.

24/09/2026

𝐀 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞.

Under the SMC settings that took effect on 24 August 2026, there are two different clocks and they're anchored to two different dates.

𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝟏 — 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰

Counted back from the date you submit your EOI. That window is twice the skilled work experience your pathway requires: 4 years for Skilled Work Experience, 3 for Trades and Technician, 2 to 4 on Points-based depending on the points you're claiming.

The EOI date sets how far back you can reach. It does not set the rate you have to meet. Your rate is fixed by the date you started gaining qualifying skilled work experience. Once set, it doesn't change.

𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝟐 — 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐍𝐙 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

Counted back from the date you apply for residence. Because of this, that window keeps moving forward with you. You have four months to lodge after an invitation to apply. If your qualifying experience sits near the far edge of the window, and you use most of those four months, the earliest part can fall out the back before you lodge.

The same rule helps in reverse: experience gained between your EOI and your application still counts, so you can replace what's dropping off.

𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐬.
▪️ Continuous, recent experience? Time is on your side.
▪️ An older block with a gap after it? Lodge early in your invitation window, not late.

Note: Relevant work experience runs on a separate 10-year window, also counted back from your residence application.

24/09/2026

𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 "𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡" 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫.

If you're working towards the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa, one of the questions I hear most often is:

"What's the wage I actually need to meet?"

The answer depends on your situation. The SMC wage threshold that applies to you can change depending on:

✔️ Which SMC pathway you're applying under (points-based, Trades and Technician, or Skilled Work Experience)
✔️ How many points you're claiming, and what you're claiming them for
✔️ When you started gaining your skilled work experience in New Zealand

Immigration New Zealand now has an SMC wage threshold tool that helps you work out which threshold applies to you. Before you use it, have this ready:

📌 Your SMC pathway
📌 Your hourly pay rate for your current job or offer
📌 Start and end dates, hourly rates and any pay changes for each role you're counting
📌 The date your work visa was granted
📌 Your EOI submission date (or when you plan to submit)

One important point: the tool tells you which wage threshold applies. It doesn't tell you whether you're eligible for residence. You still need to meet all the other SMC requirements.

🔗 https://tinyurl.com/4wrebbek

If the result isn't what you expected, or you're not sure how your work history fits, you're welcome to get in touch. I can help you work out where you stand and what your options could be.

23/09/2026

𝐀 𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Processing times vary and there's no guarantee every application will move this fast. But it shows what can happen when an application is complete and well prepared from the start.

It's also a good time to clear up something I get asked about a lot.

An approved Job Check does not mean the worker's visa is approved.

Getting a worker on an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) has three separate steps:

1️⃣ Accreditation. The employer is approved to hire migrant workers.
2️⃣ Job Check. INZ checks the specific job. This includes the pay, the employment terms, and whether the employer genuinely tried to find a New Zealander first.
3️⃣ The worker's visa application. The worker applies separately and has to meet their own requirements, such as identity, health, character, and the skills or experience needed for the role.

For roles like dental assistant, the Job Check step asks more of the employer. The job has to be advertised for at least 21 days, and the employer has to work with Work and Income on the vacancy before applying.

That's why careful preparation matters. A Job Check that's done properly makes the rest of the process stress-free for both the employer and the candidate/worker.

If you're an employer thinking about hiring from overseas, or a worker who has been offered a job and isn't sure what comes next, you're welcome to get in touch. I can help you work out what applies to your situation.

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http://abeona.co.nz/

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