Working Holiday
Working Holiday visas allow young citizens of approved countries, whose primary intention is to holiday in New Zealand, to undertake employment and study during their stay in accordance with their scheme. This is a great option if you want to explore the country and make a little bit of money to cover your travel expenses.
To be eligible for a work visa under these schemes, applicants, in addition to meeting the requirements of the particular scheme they are applying under (for their specific country), must:
- hold a valid passport from the country whose scheme they are applying under; and
- be aged no less than 18 years of age and no more than 30 years of age, unless their scheme allows a different age limit; and
- not be accompanied by children; and
- have enough funds to buy a return ticket; and
- not previously have been approved a visa under a working holiday scheme, except where their scheme allows a second application (ie for UK and Canada citizens).
| Working Holiday Visa Schemes (INZ website links) | ||
| Argentina Austria Belgium Brazil Canada Chile China Croatia Czech Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Hungary |
Hong Kong Ireland Israel Italy Japan Korea Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malaysia Malta Mexico Netherlands Norway Peru |
Philippines Poland Portugal Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Taiwan Thailand Turkey United Kingdom USA Uruguay Vietnam |
Specific purpose or event
Specific Purpose or Event visas facilitate entry to New Zealand for a specific purpose or event for which the applicant has demonstrated skills, expertise or attributes that are likely to benefit individuals and/or New Zealand and where there is no risk of a negative impact on opportunities for New Zealand citizens or residents.
You can normally apply for this visa if you:
- will be in New Zealand to complete a specific purpose or event; and
- meet the work visa requirements by providing the evidence specified; and
- the work is time-bound (not open-ended or permanent); and
- you are suitably qualified to undertake the work and meet health and character requirements.
Whether you are working as a senior manager at an international firm, has your own business interests in New Zealand or are coming here to give a concert, this visa is a great and relatively easy option. The time you can stay in New Zealand to complete your specific purpose or event is detailed in the following table.
| Specific purpose or event | How long you can stay |
|---|---|
| Senior or specialist business people on short-term secondments | 12 months |
| Business people being transferred from one part of a multinational company to another in New Zealand | 3 years |
| Business visitors who need to stay in New Zealand for more than 3 months for business reasons | 12 months |
| Investors who have applied for residence and want to investigate investment opportunities | 12 months |
| Sports referees and people in New Zealand to judge a show, display or exhibition | For the length of your engagement – not usually more than 6 months |
| Dance and music examiners | For the time needed to conduct the exams – not usually more than 6 months |
| Installers and services of specialised machinery or equipment | 3 months |
| Sports players and professional coaches | If you’ll be coaching at a national or regional level, you can stay up to 3 years, otherwise 12 months. |
| Philippines nurses seeking occupational registration | Up to 3 months |
| Other | For the time it takes to carry your specific purpose or event – not usually more than 6 months |