How long you can stay on an Essential Skills Work Visa
How long you can spend in New Zealand on an Essential Skills Work Visa depends on your situation.
Find out how long you can stay
The length of your visa depends on:
- how long you have been offered employment for
- your employment's skill-band
- whether your employer is an accredited labour hire company.
Employment skill-bands for Essential Skills Work Visas
Check the table for the situation that applies to you. The durations listed are the maximum you can stay on each Essential Skills Work Visa.
If your employment contract is shorter than the maximum duration of the visa, we grant your visa only for the length of your employment contract.
If you applied for your visa on or after 24 February 2020
Find out the skill-band and duration of your visa, based on the ANZSCO skill level and remuneration of your employment, if you applied for your visa on or after 24 February 2020.
| Skill band | ANZSCO skill level | Remuneration | Maximum duration of visa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher-skilled | Any |
$38.25 per hour or higher |
5 years |
| Mid-skilled | 1, 2, or 3 |
$21.68 - $38.24 per hour |
3 years |
| Lower-skilled | 4 or 5 |
Less than $38.25 per hour |
12 months (maximum total stay of 36 months) |
| Lower-skilled | Any |
Less than $21.68 per hour |
12 months (maximum total stay of 36 months) |
Some occupations at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 are treated as exceptions. We consider them mid-skilled if the pay rate is NZD $25.50 to $38.24 an hour.
List of ANZSCO occupations treated as an exception
Applying for another Essential Skills Work Visa
If you want to stay in New Zealand for longer, you can apply for another Essential Skills Work Visa.
If your employment is mid or higher-skilled there is no limit to the number of Essential Skills Work Visas you can apply for or the total time you can spend in New Zealand on Essential Skills Work Visas.
If you are in lower-skilled employment you are subject to a 12-month stand-down period after 3 years.
Each time you apply for a new Essential Skills Work Visa you need to show us that you meet all the requirements for us to grant you a visa. This includes your employer making sure there is no New Zealander who could do the job before they offer it to you.
Stand-down period for lower-skilled workers
Once you have spent 3 years working in New Zealand in lower-skilled employment, you must leave New Zealand for 12 consecutive months before we can grant you another Essential Skills Work Visa for lower-skilled employment. The period of 12 months outside New Zealand is called a ‘stand-down period’.
If you are subject to a stand-down period, you cannot be granted a further Essential Skills Work Visa for lower-skilled work. You may still be able to get a different type of visa, or an Essential Skills Work Visa to do mid- or higher-skilled work.