Recovery Visa

The Recovery Visa (a Specific Purpose Work Visa) allows employers to sponsor experts such as engineers, technicians, and insurance assessors to come to New Zealand.

Cyclone Gabrielle and other extreme weather events have devastated many communities and businesses in the North Island. The Recovery Visa (a Specific Purpose Work Visa) is for migrant workers who are assisting with the recovery.

Migrants can apply now through the Specific Purpose Work visa.

Roles covered by this visa

The visa is for migrant workers coming to New Zealand for a short time (up to 6 months) to do a job that supports the North Island recovery from extreme weather events in January and February 2023.

This support can include:

providing emergency response
immediate clean-up
assessing risk or loss
infrastructure, building and housing stabilisation and/or repair (including planning functions)
work that directly supports the recovery (e.g. producing relevant materials for road rebuild, transport drivers etc).

Employers must confirm that the role supports the North Island recovery from extreme weather events by completing a Recovery Visa Employer Supplementary Form (INZ 1377). Migrants must include the completed form with their application.

This visa is not available to industries providing indirect support (e.g. businesses in the affected areas facing an increased demand for services) or to backfill vacancies of people leaving roles to work on the recovery.

These employers will be able to access labour through other visas such as the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). Changes are being considered to the AEWV to support faster processing for identified roles that will support the recovery and rebuild. These roles will be exempt from the labour market test.

The Recovery Visa is not limited to roles in the North Island only, recognising that some direct support industries will be South Island-based. Employers do not have to be accredited.

Applying for the Recovery Visa

Employer finds migrant workers

Employer finds migrant workers who meet the requirements in assisting with the recovery.

Employer completes Employer Supplementary Form

Employer downloads and completes the Recovery Visa - Employer Supplementary Form (INZ 1377) and provides it to the migrant.

Migrant applies for the visa

Migrant worker completes a Specific Purpose Work visa application.

If applying online they must:

select 'Specific Purpose or Event' as the type of work visa they are applying for.
select 'Recovery Visa' as the type of specific purpose or event they are coming to New Zealand for.
select '6 months or less' as the length of stay in New Zealand.
upload the Employer Supplementary Form (INZ 1377) as the 'Evidence required for your Special Purpose or Event work visa' in the 'Upload Documents' section.

We process the application

Immigration New Zealand processes the application and provides the applicant with a decision.

Recovery Visa - Employer Supplementary Form (INZ 1377) PDF 394KB

Specific Purpose Work Visa

We aim to process applications for the Recovery Visa within a week or less.

The NZD $700 fee will be refunded automatically for successful applicants. Refunds are expected to take 15 to 25 days to process, depending on demand for the new visa. Once the refund has been processed, confirmation will be provided via the email address listed as the contact in the application.

Help for employers

The employer line is open between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Freephone from NZ landlines:

0508 967 569