AUCKLAND – New Zealand is a great country in terms of quality of life and due to less population, it offers multiple opportunities to foreigners intending to settle here.
If you want to work in New Zealand, you would require a work visa and in this guide, and we will tell you almost every detail about that visa type so you can also explore New Zealand when it comes to the options you have in terms of work.
There are almost 80 types of visas in New Zealand for work alone, most of which are country-specific, but we will limit this guide to the most common type of work visa.
New Zealand Work Visa
All foreigners can apply for a work visa in New Zealand if they:
- Have a job offer from an employer in New Zealand
- Have a specific purpose for working in New Zealand
- Want to join your partner in New Zealand
- Belong to a country that has a specific work scheme
- Are on a study visa and want to work after completing your degree program
Types of New Zealand Work Visa
As previously mentioned, there are more than 80 types of work visas for New Zealand tailored to the need of different professionals, however, below are the common ones:
- Accredited Employer Work Visa
- Recognized Seasonal Employer Limited Visa
- Partner of a Student Work Visa
- Entertainers Work Visa
- Fishing Crew Work Visa
- Business Visitor Visa
- Partner of a Worker Work Visa
- Work to residence visa
- Family stream work visa
- Student trainee work visa
- Talent work visa
- Supplementary Seasonal Work Visa
- Long-term skills shortage visa
- Essential skills work visa
- Religious work visa
- Specific purpose or event work visa
- Working Holiday visa
- Entertainers work visa
- Business visitor visa
- Academic work visa
- Sports event visitor visa
You can apply to different visa types based on which category suits you well. The complete list as well as the details are available on official website of the New Zealand government.
How to Apply for New Zealand Work Visa
For most of the work visa options, you can apply online through the website and even the supporting documents like photographs can be uploaded online. For some of the visa types, you might have to visit the embassy or consulate nearby.
The first step for applying online is to go to the official website of New Zealand Immigration. You should also create a Relme account from here. You can upload all the documents online as well besides filling the application form for visa.
Supporting Documents
Some necessary supporting documents must be uploaded with the application whether online or in person. They include a valid passport, photographs, criminal records, health certificates. These documents should be in English if not already.
New Zealand Work Visa Processing Time
Each type of visa has a different timeframe for processing as highlighted below.
Accredited employer visa – 8 weekdays
Visitor visas – 20 weekdays
The student’s visa – 30 weekdays
Working holiday visa – 3 weekdays
NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority) – 3 days
The duration mentioned for processing can vary also but the minimum processing time has been mentioned above.
New Zealand Work Visa Cost
The visa fee is totally dependent on the region you belong to and from which country you are applying as well as the type of visa.
