Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa

• 1 acceptable photo if you apply online, or 2 photos if you use a paper application form.
• your passport or certificate of identity.

Acceptable photos

If you apply online, you must upload a copy of your passport when you apply. We will let you know if you need to send your passport after you have applied.

Providing your passport for online applications

If you submit a paper application, provide your original passport or a certified copy.  We can usually process your application faster if you provide your original passport.

If you are 17 or over, you must provide a police certificate from:

• your country of citizenship
• any country you have lived in for 5 years or more since you turned 17 years old.

Good character

How to get a police certificate

You must have a chest x-ray and a medical examination as proof of your good health.

Getting an x-ray or medical examination

When we decide if your intentions are genuine, we consider all the information:

• you provide to support your application
• we have about your personal circumstances, and
• you provided in any previous applications.

Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in NZ

You meet the criteria for reapplying if you either:

• are waiting for your residence application under the Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visa category to be processed, or
• have been unable to complete the visa’s work requirements because you were outside NZ when the border closed.

If you are waiting for your residence application under the Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visa category to be processed, you must:

• hold a Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa at the time you apply
• have made an application for residence under the Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visa category and be waiting for a decision
• have a job offer for a period of at least 12 months, from the same employer that is supporting your residence application.

If you have been unable to complete 24 months of NZ employment because you were outside NZ when the border closed, you must:

• have started work in New Zealand while holding a Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa
• have left New Zealand before 19 March 2020 and returned after 31 October 2021
• have a job offer for a period of at least 24 months, from either an accredited employer, an employer whose accreditation expired after 31 March 2021, or from the same employer that supported your initial Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa
• be in New Zealand when you apply.

Your job offer must:

• be current at the time you apply for your visa
• be for full-time work
• pay at least the minimum base salary that was in place when you applied for your initial Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa - either NZD $55,000 a year (before tax) if you applied before 7 October 2019, or NZD $79,560 a year (before tax) if you applied on or after 7 October 2019
• be for work that is your employer’s main reason for being in business
• make your employer responsible for the work that you do.

You must provide a copy of your employment agreement as evidence of your job offer. The employment agreement must include:

• your employer’s name and contact details
• your name and contact details
• your job title
• the address for your place of work
• the kind of work you’ll be doing and your responsibilities at work
• details of any necessary qualifications or work experience
• information about whether you’ll need New Zealand registration to do the work
• how long the work will be for
• how long you have to take up the job offer
• pay and work conditions that comply with New Zealand employment law.

You must have full or provisional registration, if it’s needed to work in your occupation in New Zealand. 

Occupational registration