Work and employment

To apply for a Post-study work visa, you must have a New Zealand qualification. Find out which qualifications are acceptable.

Labour hire companies providing labour to the construction sector in Canterbury must be accredited before work visas can be approved.

The Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) has been developed for use in the compilation and analysis of industry statistics in Australia and New Zealand.

A list of work exchange schemes approved by Immigration New Zealand. If you have a place in one of these schemes you can apply for a Work Exchange Work Visa.

If you already have a Post Study Work Visa or we accepted your application for one before 26 November 2018, find out how to apply for a new one or work for other employers.

A list of occupations that are considered skilled work under the China Skilled Workers Instructions. You'll need an offer of work in one of these occupations to apply for a China Skilled Workers Visa.

Employers recruiting foreign crew to work on a fishing vessel must provide employment that meets certain conditions.

Specific responsibilities and obligations apply to employers who want to employ workers to work as crew on a fishing vessel.

If you want to hire overseas entertainment industry workers, you’ll need to explain why you need to hire someone from overseas and not someone from New Zealand. You’ll need to provide evidence to support your reasons - examples are included.

A list of New Zealand entertainment industry unions, guilds and professional associations that we may consult when we assess an application for an Entertainers Work Visa.

Information that New Zealand employers who want to employ crew to work on fishing vessels in New Zealand need to provide to crew before their first voyage to New Zealand.

This list comes from the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) list.

The time you can stay in New Zealand will depend on the specific purpose or event you need to complete.

The time you can spend in New Zealand on an Essential Skills Work Visa will depend on your circumstances.

You can get a Post-study work visa for 1, 2 or 3 years depending on your qualifications, where you studied and if you are working towards occupational registration.

A list of all the occupations you'll need New Zealand registration to work in.

If you are working towards registration with an authority on this list, you can apply for a further 1-year Post-study work visa to complete your registration.

These tables list the skill-bands and visa durations for Essential Skills applications submitted between 28 August 2017 and 14 January 2018, or on or after 15 January and 27 August 2018.

A list of occupations considered special work under the Republic of Korea Special Work Instructions. You'll need a job offer in one of these occupations to apply for a Republic of Korea Special Work Visa.

Find out how we categorise the employment of people applying for Essential Skills Work Visas into different skill-bands. You’ll also find information about how we calculate remuneration or pay-rates when determining the skill-band, and answers to common questions about skill-bands and remuneration.

Requirements for employment to be considered skilled under the Skilled Migrant Category.

Work experience that is recognised in one of two ways.

You can apply for a Specific Purpose Work Visa if you’re coming to New Zealand for a specific purpose or event.

Standard principles apply to employment agreements provided by overseas employers who employ crew to work on fishing vessels in New Zealand waters.

List of employers who have already gained SSE approval in principle and have agreed to make their contact details public.

People who have Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Limited Visas can choose to give their employer permission to deduct money from their pay to cover costs like food and accommodation.