Working Holiday Scheme (WHS) visa holders now have more time to travel to New Zealand after being granted new visas. The new visas give the visa holder a further 3 months to enter New Zealand. WHS visa holders have until 23.59 31 January 2023 (NZDT) to be in New Zealand. All new visa holders will have open work rights (excluding permanent work) and can work in New Zealand for 12 months from their first arrival. Their new visas will allow them as a visa holder to make multiple entries in and out of New Zealand.

Eligible people will be able to view their new visa through our Visa Verification Service.

Visa Verification Service

The new visas are part of a series of changes for WHS visa holders, announced in August 2022. The changes help increase access to working holiday makers already in New Zealand, and those looking to travel to New Zealand:

• Extending the visas of working holiday makers already in New Zealand with visas expiring between 26 August 2022 and 31 May 2023 by 6 months.
• Doubling the Working Holiday Scheme caps with a one-off increase to recognise the spots that were unused last year due to the border restrictions. This could mean up to 12,000 more working holiday makers may come to New Zealand over the next 12 months.
• The capped Working Holiday Schemes that still had open spaces, had their caps doubled on 8 September 2022, and remained open.
• The capped schemes that had already filled and closed, began re-opening with extra places available from 8 September, and will all have re-opened by early December 2022. This will ensure each country gets the benefit of this year’s allocation

Changes to Working Holiday Scheme visas announced

Working Holiday Visas