The Wire

New Zealand has published updated salary requirements for residents seeking to sponsor parents for a Parent Resident Visa, taking effect on April 30, 2026. GistReel reports that the rules require a single sponsor to earn at least 1.5 times the national median wage to bring in one parent, with an additional 0.5 times the median wage required for each extra parent.

The national median wage is currently set at NZD $72,800, according to the report. Sponsoring one parent requires an annual income of at least NZD $109,200, rising to NZD $291,200 for six parents.

The Department of Migrant Workers has upgraded the OFW Hospital in San Fernando, Pampanga, from an infirmary to a Level 2 facility, adding more than 72 inpatient beds and new equipment including MRI, CT scan and mammography machines, a tuberculosis clinic and an animal bite center. The hospital served around 154,000 overseas Filipino workers and their dependents in 2025 and maintains a zero-billing policy for qualified OFWs and their families covering consultations, diagnostic procedures, medicines and emergency services.

DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the expansion marked a shift toward preventive healthcare. "We are shifting our health framework from reactive care to proactive protection. A healthy OFW begins with strong preventive care and extends to comprehensive medical support for their families," he said. The agency is coordinating with the Department of Health on a possible partnership to operate a Cancer Care Center being built at the hospital, Filipino Times (Gulf) reports.

Filipinos living in the UAE can now send money directly to GCash wallets in the Philippines following a partnership between the two digital finance platforms, Gulf News reports.

Botim said the service was launched as remittance activity grows, noting that the value of remittances sent to the Philippines through its platform rose 145% year-on-year during the first eight months of 2026.

Sea-based overseas Filipino worker deployments dropped 56.67 percent to 155,966 between January and August 2026 compared to the same period last year, according to Department of Migrant Workers data.

Passenger vessels accounted for the highest number of hired Filipino seafarers at 34,653, followed by bulk carriers with 33,741 deployments, according to the department, SunStar Publishing Inc. reports.

The CBCP Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People signed agreements with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Department of Migrant Workers and Commission on Filipinos Overseas on September 27 to strengthen support for Filipino migrant workers, seafarers and families separated by migration.

The initiatives focus on addressing the mental health of children affected by prolonged family separation. Fr. Ricky Gente, ECMI executive secretary, said the migrant ministry has reached nearly 70% of parishes in Luzon and continues to expand. "These projects aim to help our Filipino workers abroad, especially with the mental health of our children who have been separated from their families," Gente said, Interaksyon reports.

Immigration New Zealand will permanently delete unfinished visitor visa applications from its old online system after October 8, 2026, the agency announced on August 11. From September 24, applicants will no longer be able to open new applications for 20 visitor visa categories in the old system; all new applications for these visas must use the enhanced Immigration Online platform from that date.

Existing draft applications can still be completed and submitted through the old system until October 8, after which all remaining drafts will be deleted. INZ said it will contact applicants with draft applications ahead of the deadline. Applicants who have already submitted applications do not need to act; they will retain access to their submitted applications in the old system to upload documents and respond to requests until a decision is made.

The 20 affected visa categories include the standard Visitor Visa, Business Visitor Visa, Academic Visitor Visa, Medical Treatment Visitor Visa, and Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa, Legit News reports.

Immigration New Zealand introduced minimum age requirements requiring both applicants and supporting partners to be at least 18 years old under updated rules that took effect on 25 September 2026. The policy changes affect nine partnership-based visa pathways, including resident, work, and visitor categories.

Under the revised framework, officials will only consider relationship evidence gathered after both individuals have turned 18. For partnership-based residence requiring 12 months of cohabitation, that period can now only be counted from the point at which both partners reached the age of 18, according to Legit News.

Five Filipino seafarer crew members aboard the Antigua-flagged bulk carrier M/V Cape Dao arrived in Manila on September 27 following their repatriation after an incident in the Strait of Hormuz, the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers said.

The seafarers landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Qatar Airways flight QR928, after the vessel sustained damage during a transit through the Strait of Hormuz on September 23, according to the department.

DMW OIC-Assistant Secretary for Sea-based OFW Concerns Augusto San Diego III said the government would continue to support the crew as they recover.

– With Filipino Times Filipino Times (Gulf) reports.

The Department of Migrant Workers and the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic signed a joint communiqué on September 28, 2026, establishing a Labor Consultation Mechanism.

DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and Slovak Ambassador to the Philippines Miloš Koterec signed the agreement to provide a platform for dialogue on employment opportunities, recruitment procedures, and the recognition of credentials, the Filipino Times reports.

Immigration New Zealand is urging travellers planning to visit during the Christmas and New Year holidays to submit their visitor visa applications early. The agency received around 284,000 visitor visa applications between September and March last summer, Immigration New Zealand reports.

Higher application volumes can lead to longer processing times, particularly if applications are missing information or supporting documents. Travellers should provide all required documents, ensure personal details match their passports exactly, and include English translations where necessary, the agency said.

Five Greenpeace activists were removed by police from the government-owned research vessel RV Tangaroa in Wellington Harbour on Saturday after boarding the ship to protest deep sea mining in the Pacific. Police are considering whether to lay charges.

Campaigner Juressa Lee said on Pacific Mornings that the action was intended to challenge New Zealand's role in mineral exploration linked to an American company, according to Pacific Media Network reports.

The Department of Migrant Workers shut down offices in Pasig City and Baguio City on Friday, September 25, over alleged illegal recruitment of culinary and hospitality workers for jobs in Australia, the agency said.

The operation targeted Ausphin International Institute and Visume Inc. operating in the Ortigas Business Center, along with related entities in Baguio City, after a former employee filed a complaint in June, according to the DMW, Philippine News Agency reports.

The Department of Migrant Workers in the Cordillera Administrative Region has signed an agreement with regional religious groups to strengthen its campaign against illegal recruitment, the Philippine News Agency reports.

DMW-CAR Regional Director Cherryl Daytec said Thursday the agency partnered with the Regional Ecumenical Council to provide training and educational manuals to church members.

The DMW Migrant Workers Protection Division said online platforms have become primary hunting grounds for illegal recruiters, prompting collaborations with Meta and TikTok to take down fraudulent posts.

The Department of Migrant Workers is sending a team to Nueva Ecija to prepare comprehensive reintegration assistance for Mary Jane Veloso following her absolute pardon from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the agency said.

The assistance will include psychosocial counseling, livelihood support, enterprise capital and skills training as Veloso prepares to reunite with her family after more than 15 years in detention, according to the DMW, SunStar Publishing Inc. reports.

Former overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso spoke to Rappler in her first one-on-one interview on Friday, September 25, following her release from detention, Rappler reports.

Veloso received an absolute pardon from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday, September 24, according to Rappler. She spent 14 years in an Indonesian prison and nearly 2 years at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.

Severe weather warnings are in place across New Zealand as a fast-moving cold front brings heavy rain, snow and severe gales on Sunday, according to MetService.

Orange warnings cover heavy rain in the Tararua Range, heavy snow in the Canterbury High Country and severe winds across parts of the lower North Island, RNZ reports.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac met with Czech Senate Vice President MUDr. Ladislav Václavec in Manila to discuss expanding employment opportunities for Filipino healthcare workers, the Department of Migrant Workers said.

The discussions covered nursing education, professional certification, labor systems, and measures to promote ethical migration, according to the department, Leana Bernardo reports for Filipino Times (Gulf).

Police have declined to comment on an investigation involving a North Korean IT worker who used a New Zealand citizen to help trick a local company into hiring them.

The National Cyber Security Centre revealed on Thursday that the remote worker earned foreign currency for the North Korea state and threatened to release commercially sensitive information when caught, according to RNZ.

Health New Zealand announced plans to hire 380 extra nurses, midwives and health care assistants following its annual workforce review, RNZ reports.

National chief nurse Nadine Gray told a press conference in Auckland on Friday that the majority would be nurses, though she did not know the exact percentage.

Of the new full-time equivalent roles, 149 will go to the South Island, 120 to the Northern region, 76 to the Central region and 32 to the Midland region, according to Health NZ.

Immigration New Zealand has implemented new age and evidence requirements for dedicated partnership-based visa categories, according to an agency announcement on 25 September 2026.

Both visa applicants and their supporting partners must now be aged 18 or over when applying, and partnership evidence is only recognised from when both individuals reached that age, Immigration New Zealand said.

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says she has confidence in Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment chief executive Nic Blakeley "for now" following revelations that an abandoned IT project cost $50.7 million.

Blakeley confirmed the figure at a parliamentary select committee on Wednesday, acknowledging that costs could continue to rise as financial controls are reviewed, according to RNZ, RNZ Politics reports.

Sen. Joel Villanueva called for stronger action against illegal online recruiters on Tuesday, urging authorities to move beyond simply removing fraudulent job advertisements.

Authorities took down 87,011 online scam posts in 2025 and 44,079 in the first half of 2026, according to figures presented during the Department of Migrant Workers budget hearing, Javier Joe Ismael reports for the Manila Times.

Health New Zealand denied imposing a hiring freeze and said an issue affecting Canterbury's recruitment of replacement staff has been corrected, Chris Lynch Media reports.

Health New Zealand Executive Regional Director South Island Pete Watson said the organisation became aware of the recruitment issue last week and took steps to address it.

– Chris Lynch Media

Growth New Zealand is proposing a new visa allowing up to 300 exceptionally accomplished people a year to move to the country without a job offer, according to BusinessDesk.

The proposed "Catalyst Visa" is aimed at senior operators, founders, technical leaders and researchers, giving successful applicants 12 months after arriving to begin qualifying work, BusinessDesk reports.

Nearly two million overseas Filipino workers returning to the Philippines would be affected by a proposed Bureau of Immigration border fee, immigration experts said.

Loreto Soriano, an expert from the Migration and Policy Development Center, raised concern over the proposed P240 or $4 fee, according to the Inquirer Global Nation.

The Privacy Commissioner has issued compliance notices to Health NZ and patient portal Manage My Health following a cyber attack in December 2025 that leaked data belonging to nearly 100,000 individuals, RNZ reports.

Commissioner Michael Webster said the organisations failed to maintain adequate security controls during the breach, which compromised hundreds of thousands of medical files, according to RNZ.

Manage My Health has until the end of August 2027 to comply with health privacy rules, while Health NZ has until the end of January, RNZ reports.

Senators questioned a proposed P129.8 million budget reduction for the Department of Migrant Workers during a hearing on Monday, September 21, amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to the Filipino Times.

The agency is set to receive P11.62 billion under the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program, which is lower than its previous allocation, the publication reports.

Taxpayers have lost $50.7 million on abandoned Immigration New Zealand biometric upgrade projects, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment chief executive Nic Blakely confirmed on Wednesday.

Blakely, who appeared before MPs at select committee on the final sitting day of the parliamentary term, told the committee he takes responsibility for the failures, RNZ Politics reports.

New Zealand Police are searching the Waikato River in Hamilton after receiving a report that a person is suspected to have entered the water at 1.30 a.m., according to Sergeant Mark Harrison.

Search and Rescue boats and a police helicopter are assisting in the operation near Swarbrick Landing off River Road, police said. There was no immediate word on the identity of the person, and authorities asked the public to report any items of interest.

Immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport intercepted 4 Filipinos recruited for security and military work in Russia, the Bureau of Immigration said on Tuesday, September 22.

The passengers were stopped in two separate incidents on September 18 and 19 after giving inconsistent statements during inspection, according to the bureau, Ian Laqui reports for philstar.com.