New Zealand offers work visa with pathway to residency

New Zealand offers an ‘Accredited Employer Work Visa’ that allows overseas workers to take up full-time employment with accredited employers who have offered them at least 30 hours of work a week.

Successful applicants can stay in New Zealand for up to five years, depending on their occupation, skill level, and salary, and this visa can potentially lead to a resident visa.

Visa holders are also permitted to study for up to three months within any 12-month period or to complete training required for their job.

Eligibility:

Applicants must have a genuine offer of full-time work of at least 30 hours a week from a New Zealand-accredited employer.

Job offer must be current, paid at least the market rate for the applicant’s role, and backed by an approved job check.

Employers are barred from charging workers recruitment fees or requiring them to cover hiring costs.

Employment agreements must comply with New Zealand labour laws and cannot include unlawful deductions, trial periods, or unfair bonding clauses.

The visa does not cover self-employed work, foreign fishing vessel crew, or jobs involving the planting, maintenance, harvesting or packing of crops in the horticulture and viticulture sectors.

Skills and qualification requirements

Applicants must have at least two years of relevant work experience or hold a Level 4 or higher qualification under the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework.

Applicants with qualifications below a bachelor’s degree obtained outside New Zealand may also need an International Qualification Assessment.

Work experience must be supported by independently verifiable evidence, such as reference letters, employment certificates, pay slips, or tax records.

Additionally, if the applicant’s job is classified at skill level four or five on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations list, he is required to show that he can speak and understand English through specific citizenship criteria, study evidence, or approved English language tests.

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Health and character checks

Applicants must meet New Zealand’s health and character requirements. Depending on individual circumstances, this may include submitting a chest X-ray and police clearance certificates.

How to apply

The application process begins after an accredited employer offers a job and provides the applicant with a job description, employment agreement, and a unique online application link, known as a job token.

Applicants must then gather the required documents, including certified English translations of any medical or police certificates issued in another language.

Applications are submitted online, together with the required documents and the visa fee, which starts from NZ$1,540.

Immigration New Zealand says around 80 percent of Accredited Employer Work Visa applications are processed within six weeks. Applicants can track the progress of their application online and, if approved, will receive an electronic visa (eVisa).