There are a number of requirements that you will need to meet to get a temporary work visa and/or permit, and, later, to be eligible for a residence permit. In this section you can find out whether you need a work visa or permit, whether you will qualify, and what your work visa or permit will allow you to do.
People who do not need a visa or permit
You do not need a work visa or permit to work in New Zealand if you are:
- a New Zealand citizen or you hold a New Zealand Residence Permit, or
- an Australian citizen, or an Australian resident with a current permanent residence visa or a current resident return visa.
Certain kinds of work do not require a work visa or permit. 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 or permit. 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 policy 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 in the relocation of the business.
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 permit you need to meet certain conditions during your stay:
- the work you do must be in line with the conditions specified in your permit
- you must keep within New Zealand’s laws
- you must only stay in New Zealand for the time allowed by your permit.
If you break any of these conditions we may require you to leave the country immediately.
You can be refused a visa or permit if:
- you are a person who is not eligible for a visa or a permit under section 7(1) of the Immigration Act 1987, or
- you are in New Zealand unlawfully when you apply or
- we believe that you are likely to stay in New Zealand unlawfully or
- we believe that you would break the conditions we would apply to the visa or permit 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 5 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.