The Government has agreed to relax visa conditions for a short period to allow temporary migrant workers and international students to further assist with our essential services during the COVID-19 response. 
This decision will help essential businesses that are operating during Alert Level 4 to keep operating while New Zealand remains at Alert Level 3 or 4.
Work visa holders with employer-specific work visas already employed in essential services will be able to vary their hours and be redeployed to do other roles within their current workplace. They can also perform their current role in a different workplace to help essential businesses keep operating while New Zealand remains at Alert Level 3 or 4 and for six weeks after that.
International students who are already employed in an essential services role will be able to work longer hours for their current employer while New Zealand remains at Alert Level 3 or 4 and for six weeks following. Students who are employed in an essential services role and wish to work more than 20 hours must still meet their study requirements and should discuss their plans with their education provider.
The short timeframe will enable employers in essential industries to maintain their labour pool as hiring would be very difficult while New Zealand remains at Alert Level 3 or 4. Any amendment to an employee’s conditions of work must be compliant with normal New Zealand employment law and the individual or collective employment agreement relevant to the employee.
People holding interim visas are not able to apply for a Variation of Conditions.
There are no fees or levies payable for a Variation of Conditions under this special category. The changes come into effect on Thursday 16 April 2020. Employers must submit a request using INZ form.
A list of essential sectors during Alert Level 3 or 4 can be found on: MBIE | Essential sectors
Visa changes to support essential services during COVID-19
The Government has changed some temporary work visa conditions to support certain sectors in essential services to manage COVID-19.
Healthcare Sector
Visa applications will be prioritised for key roles necessary for the health response in New Zealand.
As a temporary measure, some lower skilled temporary healthcare workers that are currently in New Zealand will be able to work in New Zealand for an additional 12 months before they are subject to the stand down period. This will allow those health workers with lower skilled Essential Skills visas who have worked in New Zealand for three years an additional 12 months before they are subject to a stand down period where they must leave New Zealand.
This will provide additional certainty for those impacted, some of whom will be affected by the first stand down period from 28 August 2020, and it will also help maintain existing workforces at this critical time.
Student visa holders that were employed in an essential health worker role on 3 April 2020, will be able to work more than 20 hours for the period 3 April 2020 to 3 July 2020 in order to support the public health response to COVID-19. This includes aged residential care and applies to interim visa holders who immediately prior held a student visa.
Essential Health Workers information
More student visa holder information
Supermarkets
Changes have been made to immigration instructions to relax visa restrictions for two groups of current supermarket employees for a period of 30 days to help manage labour supply issues. Up until 25 April 2020 work visa holders working in supermarkets can work in roles in addition to those specified on their visa.
During the same period student visa holders who work in supermarkets can work more than the current maximum of 20 hours per week if they employed on 23 March 2020.
It is important to remember that any amendment to an employee’s conditions of work must be compliant with normal New Zealand employment law and the individual or collective employment agreement relevant to the employee.
These changes have been made in response to supermarkets experiencing immediate labour supply issues, particularly to meet the increased demand for shelf re-stocking.
These visa measures apply to supermarkets operated by Woolworths New Zealand – owners of Countdown, Super Value and FreshChoice supermarkets – and Foodstuffs Limited – owners of New World, Pak n Save and Four Square.