We have specific evidence requirements for:
- entertainers, performing artists and support people
- film and video production and post-production crews, producers and directors.
If you work in one of these fields, your employer needs to prove to us that:
- you are of international distinction or merit or
- you are of an ethnicity significant to the work or
- you are otherwise essential to the event.
Your employer (or New Zealand promoter, agent or producer) must provide this evidence to us at least 10 days before the event, with:
- your personal details – full names, nationality, date and place of birth and
- evidence your employment will not put at risk the employment of New Zealand entertainers or professionals in equivalent work, unless the wider benefits to New Zealand of employing you outweigh the loss of job opportunities and
- evidence they have considered employing appropriately qualified or experienced New Zealanders and
- a written guarantee that your accommodation needs will be met, and that the cost of travel back to your home country will be met if necessary.
You will also need to show that your employer has provided the information above to the relevant New Zealand performer’s union or professional association at the same time it is provided to us. The unions or associations have three working days to notify us if they object to your employment. If there is no objection we may then grant you a work visa or permit.
If there is an objection, we will consult with the parties involved to attempt to resolve the disagreement as soon as possible.
Find out which unions and associations may be involved with your application.