To get a limited purpose visa or permit, overseas workers employed in New Zealand under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Policy must have an employment agreement with their New Zealand employer. This agreement must:
- be in writing and current at the time the RSE limited purpose visa/permit application is assessed by INZ, and at the time the limited purpose visa/permit is issued or granted, and
- be consistent with the terms of the current ATR held by the employer, and
- be for employment in New Zealand planting, maintaining, harvesting, or packing crops in the horticulture or viticulture industries, and
- be for no more than seven months, with the exception of citizens of Tuvalu and Kiribati, who are normally resident in Tuvalu or Kiribati, who may be granted a maximum stay of up to nine months, including the time for internal travel and induction arrangements within New Zealand, and
- be genuine, and
- specify a "per hour" rate for the work to be performed by the worker, consistent with the typical rate a New Zealand citizen or resident worker is paid for the equivalent work, in the same period and region, and
- where piece rates apply to the work to be performed by the worker, also specify the piece rate(s), which must be consistent with the typical rate a New Zealand citizen or resident worker is paid for the equivalent work, in the same period and region; and
- comply with the minimum remuneration requirements (see the pay and conditions requirements on the ATR requirements page) and
- pay deduction requirements (the pay and conditions requirements on the ATR requirements page), and
- comply with all relevant employment law in force in New Zealand, such as the requirements of the Employment Relations Act 2000, holiday and leave requirements, statutory health and safety obligations, and other minimum statutory requirements.
For full details see our Operational Manual under Temporary Entry, Work Policy, WH1 RSE Policy.
How a worker applies for a visa/permit
Once you've made a job offer to the overseas worker, they should apply to Immigration New Zealand for a limited purpose visa. They will be able to work for seven months in any 11-month period. Citizens of Tuvalu or Kiribati who are normally resident in their country may be granted a permit for a maximum stay of nine months.
The employee will have to fill in the form Application to Work in New Zealand for a Recognised Seasonal Employer (NZIS 1142) PDF. The form asks the overseas worker for information about your business and your ATR. You should make sure the employee has the following details when they begin filling the form:
- the name of your business
- your business's contact details
- the position offered, eg planting, maintaining, harvesting, or packing crops
- your ATR number
- their start date.
The full requirements that employees must meet are available on our Apply and Settle site.
Where the application must be sent
RSE limited purpose visa applications from applicants in the Pacific must be sent to the Immigration New Zealand branch indicated below, according to country of citizenship.
Citizens of: Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu must send their application to Suva branch.
Citizens of Samoa must send their applications to Apia branch.
Citizens of Tonga must send applications to Nuku'alofa branch.
RSE limited purpose visa applications from applicants in the rest of the world must send their applications to the closest Immigration New Zealand branch listed below.