New Zealand Visas- Which One?

If you are intending to work in New Zealand and are not a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, then you will need a visa which gives you the right to live and work in New Zealand . It is advisable to review your options early on in the recruitment process, select the most appropriate visa category and then prepare the relevant information and documents that you will need to make the application. The processing time for visa applications is generally swift, but should your documents not be in order, delays will ensue.

Immigration New Zealand

Immigration New Zealand is the agency within the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment that is responsible for border control, issuing travel and work visas and managing immigration to New Zealand. 

Immigration New Zealand has just announced a revision of its visas for skilled workers, abolishing most of the existing visa categories and combining them into a single new category, the Accredited Employer Work Visa. This is the most appropriate visa category for most people travelling to New Zealand to take up a job for the first time and allows you to work for up to three years. During this time you can make an application for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa which grants permanent residency. The final option is the Specific Purpose Work Visa which is suitable only for people planning to travel to New Zealand for a special purpose or event.

VISA OPTIONS : THREE ROUTES

OPTION 1: Accredited Employer Work Visa: Length of Stay Up To 3 Years

This is a temporary visa and you can apply for this if you have a job offer from an accredited employer and the skills and qualifications for the job. You may be eligible for the Green List Straight to Residence Visa, or after 2 years the Work to Residence Visa.

Visa Purpose:

• You have been offered a job that no New Zealanders are available to do, and you are planning a temporary stay in New Zealand.

With this visa you can:

• Work in New Zealand for an accredited employer who has offered you at least 30 hours work a week.
• Study for up to 3 months in any 12 month period, or do any study required as part of your employment.
• In some cases, fast-track to residence or work to residence in 2 years depending on your pay and your role.

Conditions:

• You must have a full-time job offer with a minimum of 30 hours per week
• Your employer must be accredited with Immigration New Zealand
• You must have the necessary skills and experience to work in your occupation, as listed in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).
• You must have the appropriate professional licence / registration
• Your visa will be valid for up to 3 years if you are paid at or above the New Zealand median wage of NZD $27.76 an hour, and for up to 2 years if you are paid below the median wage.
• You can only support your dependent child's visitor or student visa if you earn at least NZD $43,322.76 each year.
• This visa ties you to the employer who offered you the visa application for the length of your visa ⁠— if your situation changes you will need to vary the conditions of your visa or apply for a new visa.

OPTION 2: Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa: Stay Indefinitely

This visa is for people who have skills that will contribute to New Zealand's economic growth. Before you can apply, you will need to send Immigration New Zealand an expression of interest (EOI), that details your work experience and qualifications.

Visa Purpose:

• You want to live in New Zealand permanently and you have skills that can contribute to New Zealand’s economic growth. Your application is more likely to be accepted if you have employment in an area in which New Zealand has a skills shortage.

With this visa you can:

• Live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely
• Include your partner, and dependent children aged 24 and under, in your residence application.

Conditions:

• A points-based system is used to assess expressions of interest.
  
• Currently, Immigration New Zealand is only selecting EOIs with 160 points or above.
• You’ll need to have enough skills, experience and qualifications for Immigration New Zealand to accept your Expression of Interest and invite you to apply for residence.
• You’ll need to be 55 or under when you apply.
• You’ll need to speak English reasonably well.
• This visa isn’t designed for people who are self-employed. If you want to work in your own business, you may wish to apply for an Entrepreneur Resident Visa instead

OPTION 3: Specific Purpose Work Visa : Stay for a fixed duration of time

This visa category is just for people who are going to New Zealand for a short term assignment and is usually not the most appropriate visa category for most people.

Visa Purpose:

• You want to come to New Zealand for a specific purpose or event and you have skills and expertise that will benefit New Zealand. Examples of people who may be able to apply include business people on secondments, sports players, professional coaches, specialist installers or services, and Philippines nurses seeking occupational registration.

With this visa you can:

• Come to New Zealand for a specific purpose or event.
• Work for a specific employer for the time allowed to complete your specific purpose or event

Conditions:

• You must be coming to New Zealand for a specific purpose or event.
• You must be able to define the specific time period you’ll need to be in New Zealand for your specific purpose or event.
• You must have skills related to your specific purpose or event.

Extensions to this visa:

• If you need more time to complete your specific purpose or event, you can apply for another Specific Purpose Work Visa.
• Senior business people on short-term secondments can apply to stay another 12 months.
• Business people, who are being transferred from one part of a multinational company to another in New Zealand, can apply to stay another 3 years.

WHAT YOU NEED FOR IMMIGRATION NEW ZEALAND VISA APPLICATIONS

Visa applications are processed via Immigration New Zealand's website portal and documents are uploaded directly into the portal. You must ensure that all documents are clear and in the correct format.

Visas applications for the Accredited Employer Work Visa are processed within 2-3 weeks in most cases and the visas are issued electronically. Sometimes you will be requested to submit your passport to your local New Zealand Embassy or High Commission for review.

Visa applications for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa have a considerably longer processing time and may take up to 12 months to complete.

You will need to submit the following documents in support of your visa application:

1. A job offer from an accredited employer
2. Proof of registration with the appropriate professional / regulatory body for the job
3. Passport copy - valid for at least 12 months
4. Copy of CV
5. Police Check from all countries where you have lived for the last 10 years. (In the UK this can be obtained via a simple on line application at the ACRO Police Certificate website. The application takes 10 days to process.)
6. EOI - for Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa applications

Please contact us with any questions and our licensed New Zealand Immigration Adviser will be able to assist.

Candidates may view all advertised jobs in New Zealand on our website and search by location and speciality. Applications can be made by uploading a recent CV.