May 10, 2020
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) had its offices closed due to COVID-19. This meant that no applications were being processed, effectively bringing immigration to a standstill. Now that New Zealand is in level 3 of the lockdown, and hopefully entering level 2, INZ will be reopening its doors and resume processing applications. However, this will only be for onshore branches and staff numbers will be limited. On top of that, New Zealand’s borders are still closed. This means that the only applications that will be processed will be applications for people who are currently onshore. However, if you meet the requirements […]
April 24, 2020
– 24 April 2020 On 9 April 2020, Queen City Law held our first online webinar for employers in regards to practical Immigration and Employment law tips due to the lockdown and COVID-19 situation. You can visit our previous blog here to view the original presentation. On Thursday 23 April 2020, Marcus, Bradley and Max held another online webinar to provide further tips based on the announcement from the Government in regards to the move from Alert Level 4 to Alert Level 3. You can view the presentation slides here and listen to a recording of the audio below. […]
April 24, 2020
On 18 April 2020 Queen City Law and Conrad Funds Management Limited held an online webinar in regards to the different Investor Visa categories and Investment in New Zealand. The seminar was presented by Tom Huang (Associate of Queen City Law) and Yuan Fang (Investor Relations of Conrad Funds Management Limited) with an introduction from Marcus Beveridge (Principal of Queen City Law). You can read the presentation slides from Queen City Law in English and Chinese. You can also read the presentation from Conrad Funds Management Limited here and visit their website for further information. If you wish to discuss […]
April 16, 2020
Coming to the end of week three in the national lockdown, many were tuned in to the announcement by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. All hopes were on the announcement that the Alert Level would be moved from 4 down to 3 and some form of normalcy would return to the nation from next week. While there was no set-in-stone confirmation that the Alert Level would definitely be lowered next week, there was an update on what Alert Level 3 would look like in terms of personal movement, recreation, education, workers and business, travel and transport, gatherings, at risk people and […]
April 8, 2020
– 09 April 2020 Queen City Law is pleased to be doing a webinar on topical Immigration and Employment Law considerations in the new normal. You can review the topics that were covered by Marcus, Bradley and Max here. If you have any queries, you can contact Marcus, Bradley or Max to discuss. Marcus Beveridge – marcus@qcl.co.nz Bradley So – bradley@qcl.co.nz Max Shin – max@qcl.co.nz We have taken care to ensure that the information given is accurate, however it is intended for general guidance only and should not be relied upon in individual cases. Professional advice should always be sought […]
April 8, 2020
By Max Shin and Tina Hwang What we previously saw in movies and news abroad has struck Kiwi homes (literally) as COVID-19 has now reached New Zealand. This particular strain of the coronavirus has impacted our businesses, finances, social movements, and our livelihoods. Employers and employees may struggle to make sense of the new norm as the pandemic brings uncertainty. The New Zealand Government recently escalated the situation to a “level 4” lockdown requiring all businesses to close unless they qualify as an “essential business”. This historic event will change how we conduct business in New Zealand, but what does […]
April 5, 2020
Over the last decade or so, we predict that around $10 billion has been invested into New Zealand under the Investor 1 and Investor 2 Immigration Categories. In numerical terms that equates to $10,000,000,000. This is hardly chump change. In rough terms, it is less money than New Zealand’s richest man Graeme Hart is apparently worth. Queen City Law has been at the forefront of this wave of millionaires and the odd billionaire to New Zealand. We believe that we have acted on more successful Investor 1 applications than any law firm in New Zealand. Most of our clients have […]
April 3, 2020
– 03 April 2020 Border Closure As with many other nations around the world, New Zealand closed its borders hoping to flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases in the country as much as possible. The only means of entry into New Zealand currently is if you are a citizen or permanent resident returning to New Zealand from overseas. Details of who may travel into New Zealand during this closure can be found on our earlier blog, New Zealand’s borders are now closed and on Immigration New Zealand’s website. Since then, Immigration New Zealand has provided further instructions for Australian citizens or permanent […]
March 31, 2020
– 31 March 2020 The Government has developed and rolled out an economic response package in response to COVID-19. For employers, perhaps the most critical parts of this package are the Wage Subsidy Scheme (“the Scheme”) and the COVID-19 Leave Payment (“the Leave Payment”). Under the Scheme, all New Zealand employers, contractors, sole traders, self-employed persons, registered charities, and incorporated societies are eligible for a wage subsidy for their staff. The aim of the Scheme is to provide a wage subsidy to protect businesses from closing-down and to ensure employees are paid at least 80% of their salary or wages. […]