Silver Fern Practical Experience Work Visa

This visa allowed Silver Fern Job Search Work Visa or Silver Fern Practical Experience Work Visa holders to stay and work in New Zealand. It closed on 31 October 2021.

Length of stay
Up to

2 years

Cost
From
NZD $700
Processing time
80% within
4 weeks
With this visa you can
  • Work in New Zealand doing the skilled employment that’s the basis for granting your visa.
  • Study for up to 3 months in any 12 month period.
Things to note
  • This visa has closed and will be replaced by the Accredited Employer Work Visa from 4 July 2022.
    Accredited Employer Work Visa
  • The time you can stay will depend on the length of your job offer.
  • If you’ve held one or more Silver Fern Practical Experience Visas in the past, you’ll only be eligible to apply again if the total amount of time you’ve held those visas was less than 2 years.
  • You can't include a partner or dependent children in your visa application, but they can apply for visas based on their relationship to you.
    Explore family visa options
CLOSED

This visa closed permanently on 31 October 2021.

What you need to apply

Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.

View All Evidence

You must provide proof of your identity:

Acceptable photos

You may provide your original passport, or a certified copy when you submit your application. If you provide a certified copy we may request your original passport to complete your application.

Tips

If you are a citizen of China and you submit a paper application form in China, you must also complete a supplementary form.

Supplementary form for Chinese citizens (INZ 1027) PDF 338KB

If you are submitting a paper application form, you must provide a supplementary form for Hong Kong and Macao visitors, workers and students.

Supplementary form for Hong Kong and Macao visitors, workers and students (INZ 1220) PDF 240KB

Also provide your:

  • Hukou (household registration book)
  • Chinese identity card.

Also provide a copy of your Identity card.

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

Getting an x-ray or medical examination

Tips

You must provide a chest x-ray completed in the last 3 months, even if you've provided one to us previously, if:

  • you have spent 6 consecutive months in China since the last x-ray certificate was issued, and
  • you are now coming to NZ for more than 6 months.

If you have a criminal conviction or are a security risk to New Zealand we may not be able to grant you a visa.

Good character for temporary visas

You must provide police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits. This includes any time you have spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas, even if you have been out of the country since then.

You also must provide police certificates if we ask for them.

If you are 16 years old or younger you do not need to provide police certificates.

Providing police certificates

How to get a police certificate

If you have already sent us Police Certificates with a previous visa application and they are less than 24 months old, you do not need to send them again.

Police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application. They must be from any country you are a citizen of, or have spent more than 5 years in since you turned 17.

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

We’ll check our records for evidence you hold a Fern Job Search Work Visa or a Silver Fern Practical Experience Work Visa.

You must provide a written employment agreement for skilled employment, which will need to include:

  • a detailed job description
  • the hours of work
  • the length of the employment
  • the salary or wages
  • the date you’ll be starting work.

We can’t grant a visa if your employer is included on the list of non-compliant employers maintained by the Labour Inspectorate.

List of non-compliant employers

Tips

If you’ve been offered a contract, provide your contract for service instead.

If registration is required to work in your occupation in New Zealand, you must provide either:

  • a certified copy of your full or provisional New Zealand registration
  • confirmation from the appropriate registration body that you’re eligible for New Zealand registration.

Occupational registration

We’ll check our records for any previous applications.

Process and costs

The information below will help you understand the process, timeframes and costs involved in applying for this visa, so you can plan ahead and have the best chance of submitting a complete application.

1
You apply for a work visa

You have to use a paper form to apply. You will need to complete a ‘Work Visa Application’ and send it to us with your application fee, immigration levy and supporting documents, including:

  • a copy of your employment agreement or contract for service
  • a copy of your New Zealand registration, if It is needed to work in your occupation in New Zealand
  • an ‘Employer Supplementary Form’ completed by your employer.
Immigration costs
NZD $ 700

Application cost – This is the charge for Immigration New Zealand to process your application. We do not refund application costs if we decline your application. A non-refundable immigration levy is charged and is included in the cost.

2
We make a decision about your application

If there is anything else you need to do, we will be in touch.

If you are in New Zealand, and your current temporary visa expires before your new visa is granted, we will normally issue you an interim visa to let you stay in New Zealand lawfully.

Interim Visa

How to submit

Payment methods and receiving centre details if applicable.

Applying on paper

Payment methods

By Post

Credit Card
You can pay with Visa or MasterCard. We take payment when we receive your application. You must have enough funds available on the day we receive your application or it may be returned to you.

Debit Card
You can pay by debit card. We take payment when we receive your application. You must have enough funds available on the day we receive your application or it may be returned to you.

Postal address

Immigration New Zealand
PO Box 76895
Manukau City
Auckland 2241
New Zealand

Courier address

Immigration NZ
DX Box: EP71514
20 Fairfax Avenue
Penrose
Auckland 1061
New Zealand

Conditions

These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa.

Entry permission

You must apply for entry permission when you arrive in New Zealand. You can do this by completing a paper arrival card or a digital traveller declaration. If you are completing a paper arrival card you will be given this on the way to New Zealand.

New Zealand Customs and Biosecurity also check that you meet their entry requirements.

Arriving in New Zealand

Notes

You can be refused entry permission if:

  • you don’t meet our character requirements
  • your circumstances have changed since you were granted a visa
  • you refuse to let us to take your photo, or provide us with your fingerprints or an iris scan, if we ask you for them.

Travel

After you arrive, you can travel in and out of New Zealand as many times as you like before your visa expires.

Notes

Visa expiry dates are printed on a visa label or included in a visa letter.

Study

You can study for up to 3 months in any 12-month period.

Work

You can work in the specific occupation, for the specific employer, in the specific location that was the basis for your visa being granted.

Visa expiry

You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.

Notes

Visa expiry dates are printed on a visa label or included in a visa letter.