Work and employment

This page has information about what qualifications are eligible for a Post Study Work Visa.

If you want to apply for a Post Study Work Visa and you applied for your Student Visa on or before 11 May 2022, you must have an acceptable New Zealand qualification.

Check if your occupation is on the list and find your occupation code.

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.

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

Entertainment industry employers who want to hire overseas workers must explain why New Zealanders cannot do the work and provide evidence to support this.

How long you can stay in New Zealand depends on how long you need to be here to complete your specific purpose or event.

How long you can spend in New Zealand on an Essential Skills Work Visa depends on your situation.

You can get a Post Study Work Visa for up to 3 years depending on your qualifications, if you are working towards occupational registration, and the dates that you held (or had applied) for your student visa.

You must have specialist, technical or management expertise and meet the pay rate threshold to do skilled work in New Zealand.

You must be coming to New Zealand for an acceptable specific purpose or event to apply for a Specific Purpose Work Visa.

If you claimed points for your work experience in your expression of interest for a skilled migrant visa, you need to show that you have that experience when you apply.

Search the Green List to see if your role is Tier 1 Straight to Residence or Tier 2 Work to Residence. When you find your role check the qualifications, registration or experience you need for a Straight to Residence or Work to Residence Visa application.

We use ANZSCO Version 1.2 to assess the skill level of most occupations. Occupations that have a higher skill level in ANZSCO Version 1.3 are treated as exceptions.

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.

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.

The Essential Skills Work Visa closed to new applications on 4 July 2022. If you have an existing visa, your individual conditions will remain until the visa expires.

Find employers who can recruit temporary visa holders under the Supplementary Seasonal Employer (SSE) Scheme.

Work exchange schemes are reciprocal agreements that let you experience work, education and culture in New Zealand.

If you are working in New Zealand on a Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Limited Visa you can give your employer permission to deduct money from your pay to cover some costs.

If your employer is hiring you on an Accredited Employer Work Visa they must meet NZ employment law and other commitments, including giving you specific settlement support.

Eligibility criteria for the straight to residence, work to residence and highly paid skilled residence categories.