Press Release – Tourism Industry Aotearoa Many tourism employers around New Zealand and their highly valued employees on work visas will be delighted and relieved by todays announcement extending Essential Skills Visas. Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi has announced that two-year Essential … Many tourism employers around New Zealand and their highly valued employees on work visas will be delighted and relieved by today’s announcement extending Essential Skills Visas. Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi has announced that two-year Essential Skills visas are available from Monday. For someone already in a fulltime role and wishing to stay with that employer, the application process will be greatly simplified. A work visa holder can also move to a new employer, if a Labour Market test shows there are no suitable New Zealanders available for that role.