Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Work Category

If you are overseas, aged 18 years and over, you want to work in New Zealand’s horticulture and viticulture industries, and you have a job offer from an employer whom we have approved, you may be eligible for a visa under the Recognised Seasonal Employer work category. Please note that people approved to work in New Zealand under this category will be issued limited visas.

Requirements your employer must meet

recognised seasonal employer status – we will only recognise employers who meet our requirements
our approval to employ a number of workers (called an Agreement to Recruit).

If you want to find out more about this process, or you are an employer, see the Recognised Seasonal Employer Work Category pages for employers. When you apply for a limited visa under this category we will ask to see your job offer, and we will want to know that it meets our requirements for employment agreements. You can see these requirements on our pages for employers.

Requirements you must meet

You may be eligible for a visa under this category if you:

are aged 18 or over
have a job offer in New Zealand from an employer who meets our requirements
meet our health and character requirements (see below)
are genuine in your intention to work
have been approved for acceptable medical insurance
are offshore (or in some cases if you are in New Zealand and hold an RSE visa).

Health requirements

Before we give you a limited visa we want to know that you have an acceptable standard of health. You may have to provide a chest X-ray certificate or undergo HIV/AIDS screening.

The evidence that you must provide depends on where you are from, and your travel history.

If you are from a country which is not on the list of countries with a low incidence of tuberculosis (TB) you will have to provide a Chest-ray Certificate (INZ 1096) PDF. If you have a passport from a country not on the list, but you have never lived there, you will need to prove this, or provide a chest X-ray certificate.
If you have spent three months or more over the last five years in a country not on the list of countries with a low incidence of TB you will have to provide a Chest X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096) PDF.
If you are from a country which is on the list of countries with risk factors for HIV/AIDS you will have to provide a Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme Supplementary Medical Certificate (NZIS 1143) PDF. You do not need to provide this certificate if you have already provided it within the last 36 months with a previous application.

Applicants for an RSE limited visa who are HIV-positive are not eligible for a visa under RSE work category.

Limited visas

If you apply for a limited visa with travel conditions, and you are subsequently granted a limited visa with stay conditions, your stay in New Zealand is restricted to fulfilling the express purpose for which the visa was granted.

There are several restrictions on people who hold a limited visa with stay conditions:

You must leave New Zealand no later than the date that your visa expires.
You may not apply for a different kind of visa while you are in New Zealand. You can apply for a further limited visa with stay conditions, but it must be for the same express purpose.
You may not request a special direction or a visa under section 61 of the Immigration Act 2009 while you are in New Zealand.

You do not have any of the appeal rights that holders of other kinds of visas have, such as the right to appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal or High Court.

If you are in New Zealand unlawfully after your limited visa expires, you will be liable for immediate deportation from New Zealand.

How do I apply?

If you think you are eligible you should:

fill in the form Application to Work for a Recognised Seasonal Employer (NZIS 1142) PDF
make sure you* enclose the RSE limited visa application fee
make sure you enclose a completed chest X-ray certificate and/or supplementary medical certificate if you need one, and all of the other documents listed on the form
send the application to your nearest Immigration New Zealand branch as indicated below.

* Your prospective Recognised Seasonal Employer may provide the application fee directly to INZ if they have agreed to this in advance. If your prospective employer has agreed to this, please ensure you tick the appropriate box in the payment section of the application form.

Where the application must be sent

RSE limited 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 their applications to Nuku'alofa branch.

RSE limited visa applications from applicants in the rest of the world must be sent to the closest Immigration New Zealand branch listed below.

Page Last Updated: 30 Jul 2012