Requirements for relocating to New Zealand with your employer

There are a number of requirements that you will need to meet to get a temporary work visa, and, later, to be eligible for a residence class visa. In this section you can find out whether you need a work visa, whether you will qualify, and what your work visa will allow you to do.

People who do not need a visa

You do not need a work visa to work in New Zealand if you are:

a New Zealand citizen or you hold a New Zealand residence class visa, or
an Australian citizen, or the holder of a current Australian permanent residence visa including a current Australian resident return visa. (If there are conditions on your residence visa/resident return visa, then you will require a work visa.)

Certain kinds of work do not require a work visa. If your employment in New Zealand involves visits for business negotiations, short-term sales trips, work for official trade missions recognised by the New Zealand government, or work for overseas governments, you may be able to do it while on a visitor visa. See what these options are and what they require.

Requirements you and your employer must meet

There are a number of requirements that you and your employer will need to meet for you to qualify for residence under this category.

You must be:

a key employee of the relocating business
unable to meet the criteria for approval under any other residence categories for migrants.

When you apply you will have to supply us with a letter from the business’s chief executive officer that gives the following information:

the name and location of the business intending to relocate to New Zealand
why it is relocating, and how it will benefit New Zealand
a statement confirming that the relocated business will operate within all relevant New Zealand employment and immigration law
your current role in the business
your intended role in the relocated business
why you are considered to be a key staff member
an explanation of why you are not eligible for residence under any of our other immigration categories.

You and your employer will need to supply proof of the business’s current operation. This can include, for example, original or certified copies of:

the business registration
company accounts or tax returns and
any other documents or evidence that show how the business is currently operating.

We will check that the business has the support of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE).

We may also ask you to provide other information or documents when we assess your application.

Health and character requirements

To enter New Zealand you must:

be in good health and of good character, and
have a passport that is valid for at least three months past the date you are to leave New Zealand, and
be genuine in wanting to work in New Zealand, and
have the right visa for your visit.

If you are granted a temporary work visa you need to meet certain conditions during your stay:

the work you do must be in line with the conditions specified in your visa
you must keep within New Zealand’s laws
you must only stay in New Zealand for the time allowed by your visa.

If you break any of these conditions we may require you to leave the country immediately.

You can be refused a visa if:

you are a person who is not eligible for a visa under section 15 or 16 of the Immigration Act 2009, or
you are unlawfully in New Zealand when you apply or
we believe that you are likely to stay unlawfully in New Zealand or
we believe that you would break the conditions we would apply to the visa granted to you.

If you are unsure if you would meet these character requirements, take a look at our examples of eligibility.

English language requirements

You, your partner and any child aged over 16 years included in your application must meet our minimum standard of English. There are different ways of showing that you and your family meet the minimum standard.

Provide an IELTS certificate

You can provide a recent International English Language Testing System (IELTS) certificate where you gained an overall band score of 4 or over in the IELTS General or Academic Module. The certificate must be less than two years old.

Show you have an English-speaking background or you are a competent user of English

You can provide us with evidence that you have an English-speaking background or you can prove that you have good English language abilities through other means, such as:

your current country of residence
countries you may have lived in before
how long you were in each country
whether you speak any languages other than English
your family’s ability to speak English
whether your family members speak any languages other than English
your previous or current work and the level of English language skills required
your qualifications and the level of English language skills they required.

We may still require you to provide an IELTS certificate to confirm you meet our English requirements.

Pre-purchase ESOL tuition

For partners and dependent children over 16 years you may instead choose to pre-purchase English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) tuition in New Zealand. Find out more about pre-purchasing ESOL tuition.

Apply

If you think that you meet the requirements, find out how to apply.

Page Last Updated: 15 Jan 2013