Rules for border exemptions for IT workers will be known this month

IT companies should find out by the end of February how 600 border exemptions for migrant tech workers will be carved up between them.
Digital Economy Minister David Clark announced in December that the exemptions would be granted to higher paid software and application programmers, ICT managers and security and multimedia specialists.
That followed complaints from the technology industry that they were facing a severe skills crunch and had been overlooked in the competition for exemptions to bring highly-prized workers through the border.
NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller said the job of deciding how the exemptions would be divvied up had yet to be finalised.
But he expected an initial tranche of perhaps 200 exemptions might be allocated by a random ballet.
Professional body IT Professionals NZ would probably manage the process of ensuring applications by employers were for workers that met the Government’s criteria.
Muller expected the ballot would be run by Immigration NZ, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, or another independent organisation.
He believed more exemptions would be needed but said the important thing was that a process for granting exemptions was being put in place.

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