New Zealand is notable for career development, providing job security and ensuring an optimum work-life balance. The island country offers a vast range of opportunities to foreign nationals (such as Indians), bringing skills and experience and utilising this in New Zealand’s growth.

As an Indian, if you are willing to be a part of New Zealand’s growth and ensure a perfect work-life balance, you must obtain a New Zealand work visa first.

The following sections discuss the availability of various types of New Zealand work visa for Indians, the eligibility and application process and many more.

A New Zealand work visa is an official document that allows foreign nationals, such as Indians, to work in New Zealand.

New Zealand offers a diverse range of work visas. Though all of them are temporary, some work visas can help foreign nationals secure a residence permit.

1. Essential Skills Work Visas

Foreign nationals can apply for Essential Skills work visa if they have the specialist skills that the country is looking for. However, they must fulfil certain conditions, such as:

• The applicant’s occupation must be listed on one of the skill shortage lists,
• Applications will be granted when employers cannot find an eligible New Zealand citizen or resident for the said job.

Please note that the visa durations and conditions depend on the term of the job offer and labour market conditions. In addition, salary also plays a crucial role in deciding the visa duration and conditions.

With Essential Skills work visas, two cases can happen. First, the applicant’s occupation is on a skill shortage list and vice versa. Read on to learn about this in detail.

2. If Applicant’s Occupation Is Listed on a Skill Shortage List

When foreign nationals have a full-time job offer and the occupation that is on one of the skill shortage lists, then they can apply for an Essential Skills work visa. Foreign nationals must fulfil the criteria regarding qualifications and experience as specified.

Here, employers need not provide proof that they tried to recruit New Zealanders as INZ checks the skill shortage lists regularly.

3. If Applicant’s Occupation Is Not Listed on a Skill Shortage List

If foreign nationals have a full-time job offer and the occupation is not listed on a skill shortage list, they still have the chance of applying for an Essential Skills work visa. This is applicable if there is an absence of suitable New Zealanders.

However, an employer must prove the following things,

• Employers advertised the job in New Zealand,
• They tried to find a New Zealander or resident for the job before offering it to a foreign national.

As stated earlier, individuals who have an Essential Skills work visa can secure enough points and get a residence visa under the Skilled Migrant Category.

4. Work to Residence Visas

Work to Residence visa permits foreign nationals to work in New Zealand temporarily and apply for Residence from this Work Visa.

To apply for a Work to Residence visa, foreign nationals need to have a minimum of 24 months in a job.

There are two sub-types of Work to Residence visas. These are as follows:

Work to Residence Visa: Long Term Skill Shortage Work Visa

Foreign nationals can apply for this kind of visa under the following conditions:

• Individuals have a permanent or long-term job offer,
• They have fulfilled the age, health and character demand,
• Their qualifications and experience must match as required,
• The job is in occupation and is listed on the Long Term Skill Shortage List.

Work to Residence Visa: Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa

Foreign nationals can apply for a Talent (Accredited Employer) work visa under the following conditions:

• Individuals have a long-term or permanent job offers from an Immigration New Zealand accredited employer,
• Their job offer fulfils specific requirements,
• They fulfil the age, health and character criteria.

Apart from this, there is an Entrepreneur Work Visa. Read the following section to learn about this in detail.

Note: The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV, a new temporary work visa) will replace the Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa and the Talent (Accredited Employer). It will come into effect on 4th July 2022.

5. Entrepreneur Work Visa

This visa is available for individuals who want to establish their own business in New Zealand.

For this, entrepreneurs need to submit a detailed business plan and invest a minimum of NZ $100,000 in their business. They must be able to claim 120 points on the points scale.

If individuals obtain an Entrepreneur Work Visa, they can purchase or establish a business without living in New Zealand permanently.

In addition, they can include their partner and dependent children (aged 19 and or below) in their visa application.

Before applying for an Entrepreneur Work Visa, foreign nationals need to consider certain things. These are as follows:

• Entrepreneur Work Visa allows individuals to stay 12 months in the initial start-up stage of their visa. After this period, entrepreneurs can continue to live in the country for additional 24 months after showing that they have established their business there.
• Individuals will not get an Entrepreneur Work Visa if they have been declared bankrupt or faced business failure in the previous 5 years.
• Entrepreneurs will not get visas if they have done any kind of business fraud or financial wrongdoing.
• If an entrepreneur’s business is in the science or ICT sectors and reflects the innovation of the highest degree or export potential, then the Government can consider waiving the initial capital investment criteria.

The requirements for a New Zealand work visa for Indian citizens are as follows:

• Foreign nationals must have a job offer from a New Zealand employer,
• They belong from a country with a special work scheme, or they have been studying here and willing to work here.
• They will come to New Zealand for work-related purposes or events, or they have a partner here whom they want to join and work with.

Online Process 

Step 1: Individuals can apply for New Zealand work visa online at the official website of New Zealand Immigration.

Step 2: Here, individuals can apply for a particular work visa type and upload supporting documents. Next, individuals will be issued an e-Visa.

Step 3: The website features a guide option where individuals can get complete guidance on the visa application. New Zealand works visa applicants must read this guide for further assistance.

Currently, the majority of applications are on hold due to the global pandemic situation. 

Offline Process

Step 1: Download the application form from the official website.

Step 2: Select the visa type, in this case, work visa.

Step 3: Now, fill in the visa application form.

Step 4: Submit it along with appropriate documents to the relevant authority. Moreover, pay the visa fee as well.

Following is a list of documents that New Zealand works visa applicants must submit:

• Identity proof (passport or certificate of identity)
• Health documents (completed health questionnaire and chest x-ray). Individuals have to take a medical examination after arriving in New Zealand.
• Proof of good character (Police Certificates from home country and any country where the applicant has lived a minimum 5 years since turning 17)
• Proof of being bonafide.
• 2 visa photographs

50%, 75%, and 90% of Essentials Skills work visa applications take 38 days, 74 days and 5 months, respectively, to process.

The processing time of an Entrepreneur Work Visa is 12 to 16 months.

In general, the visa application can take 3 months to 7 months depending on the type of work visa, embassy rules, applicant profile etc.

• The Essential Skills Work Visa has a validity of 6 months (until January 2022, after that, there will be some rules changes) or 3 years. The validity depends on the skill required for doing the specific job.
• Entrepreneur Work Visa allows individuals to work in their own business in New Zealand for up to 3 years in total.
• Work to Residence Visa (Long Term Skill Shortage Work Visa) allows individuals to work up to 30 months and apply for a residence permit.
• Work to Residence Visa Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa allows individuals to live in New Zealand permanently after completing 2 years with their employer.

Various reasons can result in New Zealand work visa rejection. These are as follows:

• Submitting invalid passport
• Having criminal record
• Furnishing incomplete application

Now that we know how to apply for New Zealand work visas for Indians, its crucial to keep in mind the eligibility parameters, changes in rules, and limitations in the issuance.