Trying to find a job in New Zealand can be tricky if you’re not already there. Ideally, it helps to have a visa to allow you into the country while looking for a job. But it can be difficult to get a visa that allows you to work in New Zealand without a job offer, or without the right qualifications – especially proficiency in English.
If you want to be free while looking for a job in New Zealand, the ideal solution could be to come with a Visitor’s Visa and, if and when a job offer is obtained, work on changing your visa status while in Auckland. However, many employers will only interview people who are legally allowed to work in New Zealand and it will state this on the advert. Having a job offer can definitely increase your chances of being accepted, especially if you meet all other requirements.
Work visa applications are usually processed in 7-15 days, but it is always a good idea to start the process as soon as you decide to apply. If you visit the immigration office in person, they may be able to arrange a work visa the same day; you would need extenuating circumstances for this, but the immigration officers are very helpful and it never hurts to ask them politely if something can be done sooner.
Seasonal Work and Working Holidays
If you have experience working in horticulture or viticulture, you can apply to come to New Zealand for seasonal work, and if you are 18-30 years old, the Working Holiday Scheme is a great choice of visa. New Zealand has working holiday exchanges set up with the following countries:
Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, USA, Uruguay.
Applicants must meet requirements similar to those under the Visitor’s Visa category. For more information, go to http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/workingholiday/ and click on the link for your country.
You can apply using the online system for many of the working holiday schemes, the link to apply online will be available at the site above if it is applicable for your country of origin.
Work To Residence Visa
The Work to Residence visa is a useful stepping stone to gaining full New Zealand residency, especially if you don’t currently meet all the requirements to apply for permanent residency. There are various different categories of Work to Residency and each has its own different requirements, along with a set of standard requirements that all applicants need to meet. The standard requirements are:
- Be in good health
- Be of good character
- Have a passport that is valid for at least 3 months PAST the date you are to leave NZ
- Be genuine in wanting to work in NZ
- Have the right visa for your visit
- The work you do must match the conditions specified on your visa
- You must obey NZ laws
- You must only stay in NZ for the time allowed by your visa
You cannot apply for this visa if you are currently in NZ unlawfully, for example, if your visitor’s visa has expired. In addition to the standard requirements, there are additional requirements dependent upon which category you apply for.
Long Term Skills Shortage
- Your occupation must be listed on the long term skills shortage list
- You must have an offer of employment that is a genuine offer for at least 30 hours per week and for a term of at least 2 years
- You must be suitably qualified to do the job, either through training or experience
- You must be fully or provisionally registered – if your occupation requires registration in NZ
Talent Work Category
This category allows immigration accredited companies to recruit staff from overseas, in addition:
- You must have an offer of employment that is a genuine offer for at least 30 hours per week and for a term of at least 2 years
- The annual base salary must be at least NZ$55,000 (gross)
- You must work in the employer’s main business activity
Sports, Arts or Cultural Talent
If your time in New Zealand will enhance the country’s reputation, you can apply under this category. The additional requirements for this category are:
- You must be aged 55 years or under
- You must have exceptional talent and still be prominent in your field
- You must have an international reputation
- you must be supported by a New Zealand organization of national repute
- you must be sponsored by either an individual or the supporting organization
A Work to Residence Visa is valid for two years and you can apply for this visa when you are living outside New Zealand, or if you are already legally in New Zealand but not yet working. Your partner or dependent children cannot be included in a Work to Residence application. They will need to apply for their own visitor, student or work visa permits to come to New Zealand. However, once you hold a work visa or permit, your partner may be able to apply for their own work visa and work permit under the Family Stream, if doing so you must:
- Prove that you are in a genuine and stable relationship with your partner with documents such as a marriage license or proof of a joint address or bank account
- Your partner must be eligible to sponsor you and meets the character requirement for partners supporting partnership-based temporary entry applications
- Intend to be in New Zealand for the period you apply for in your application
- Provide a completed Form for partners supporting partnership based temporary entry applications (INZ 1146) PDF
Skilled Migrant Category (Permanent Residence Visa)
If you have decided already that you want to make New Zealand your permanent home, you can apply for Permanent Residence under the Skilled Migrant Category. The Skilled Migrant Category is for people who wish to live and work permanently in New Zealand and it applies to the applicant, their partner and all dependents. To apply under the Skilled Migrant Category, you initially have to enter an Expression of Interest. To submit an EOI you should meet the following requirements:
- Aged under 56
- Be in good health and of good character
- Meet the English language ability standards
- Achieve at least 100 points on the EOI application test
- Pay the fee – $400 if applying online, $500 for paper-based applications
You can use the online points indicator to see if you have enough points to apply, and use the EOI Checklist to make sure you haven’t missed any vital information.
Your Expression of Interest is assessed on various items:
- Age – Points are awarded for your age at the time of application, the points go down the older you get. Up to 30 points available here.
- Experience – Lots of work experience in a relevant occupation means lots of points. You get 30 points for 10 years of work experience.
- Employability – If you have a job offer, or are currently employed in NZ, lots of points, you can get up to 60 points in this section, plus, if your occupation is also on the long term shortage list or in an area of future growth, you will score some bonus points.
- Qualifications – you can claim points for one of your qualifications, generally you’d claim for your highest level of qualification, i.e. a degree if you have one. If your qualification was obtained in NZ, you get bonus points.
If you achieve 100 points, then your EOI is placed in the pool with all the other applicants. If you achieve 140 or higher, then you will most likely be invited to apply for residency without going into the pool of potential applicants. People with job offers or those currently working in NZ tend to be processed very quickly, especially if scoring high on the EOI points system.
If your EOI is accepted and you are selected from the pool of applicants, you are then invited to apply for a residency visa, however, being invited to apply does not necessarily guarantee that you will be granted residency. The fee to apply for residency varies depending upon your country of origin. Check the fee calculator to find out how much it will cost you to apply.
Do NOT send any documents or additional paperwork with your EOI. Immigration will ask for documents when they send you the invitation to apply.
When you apply for residency you will need to provide some additional information that is not required at the EOI stage:
- Medical and Chest X-Ray Certificate – must be less than three months old
- Police certificates from your country of citizenship as well as any country where you have resided for 12 months or longer in the past 10 years – certificates must be less than 6 months old
- You must be under 56 when you submit your application – if you are 55 when you are invited to apply, do not wait, if you turn 56 before you submit the forms, you will be turned down
What about my family?
You can include your partner and any dependents on your EOI, and then if you are invited to apply for residency, include them on your residency application. If you are granted a residency visa, this visa extends to include your family, however, in order to include your family members, they must also meet the requirements of good health, good character and good English language skills. To include children in your EOI, you need to fill out the EOI Child Supplement form.
What happens if I’m declined?
If your application or EOI is declined, you can still apply under another category. It would be worth looking at the Work to Residency visa as an alternative.
