Global Impact Work Visa

If you are an entrepreneur or investor who has been accepted into the Edmund Hillary Fellowship you can apply for this visa to live and work in New Zealand.

Length of stay
Up to

36 months

Cost
From
NZD $1630
Processing time
80% within
6 weeks
With this visa you can
  • Live, work and study in New Zealand for 36 months.
  • Apply for permanent residence in New Zealand after 30 months on the Edmund Hillary Fellowship.
Things to note
  • The quota is 400 places, available over 4 years.
  • Fellowship applications are now closed. Only applicants accepted into the Fellowship can apply for the Global Impact Work Visa.
  • You must remain on the Edmund Hillary Fellowship for 30 months before applying for permanent residence. To be eligible for residence, you must maintain the support of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship.
  • You cannot include a partner or dependent children in your work visa application, but they can apply for visas based on their relationship to you. They will need to meet residence health and character criteria.

    Explore family visa options
Closed

Edmund Hillary Fellowship Applications are now closed.

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

Acceptable photos

Note

If you do not have access to your passport or certificate of identity, provide your original birth certificate or certified copy.

Tips

Also provide a copy of your Identity card.

Also provide your:

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

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

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

  • your country of citizenship
  • any country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years. This includes countries where your stay has been broken by short departures.

Good character

How to get a police certificate

Tips

If you provide a police certificate that is not in English, you must provide an English translation.

This includes police certificates that record no convictions.

When you’re selected by the Edmund Hillary Fellowship you must apply for a police certificate as soon as possible. 

You must confirm in the application form that you meet fit and proper person requirements.

To be a fit and proper person, all businesses you have influence over must have complied with all immigration, employment and taxation laws. You must also:

  • have never been investigated by the Serious Fraud Office or the New Zealand police for any offence resulting from business dealings
  • have no convictions for an offence involving dishonesty
  • have never been involved in business fraud or financial impropriety.
Tips

We’ll contact you if you need to provide further information.

You will need to provide one of these with your application:

  • an acceptable English language test result.
  • evidence you’re a citizen of Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom (UK) or the United States of America (USA), and you have spent at least five years working or studying in those countries, or in Australia or New Zealand.
  • evidence you have a recognised qualification that’s comparable to a New Zealand level 7 bachelor’s degree, which you gained in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK or the USA. You must have also studied for at least two years in any of those countries to get that qualification.
  • evidence you have a recognised qualification that’s comparable to a postgraduate New Zealand qualification, which you gained in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK or the USA. You must have also studied for at least one year in any of those countries to get that qualification.
  • confirmation from the Edmund Hillary Fellowship that you have demonstrated a high standard of English. Your Letter of Offer will confirm this.

English language test results for a Global Impact Work Visa

Tips

English language test results must be no more than 2 years old.

Evidence of access to maintenance funds can be any of the following:

  • bank statements in the name of yourself or your partner who is included in the visa application
  • job offer for yourself or your partner with an annual salary of at least NZ$36,000.
  • scholarship valued at NZ$36,000 or more for the first yea
  • assets with a recent valuation of NZ$36,000
  • another source of income which provides a minimum of $36,000 for the first year.

The Edmund Hillary Fellowship will provide you with a Letter of Offer if you are invited into the programme. You should provide a copy of that letter with your visa application.

Evidence of Investment funds may include, but is not limited to:

  • payslips or employment agreement
  • tax returns
  • asset valuations
  • Divident Statements
  • Business Performance CAP reports.

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.

Notes

We cannot display any process or costs information until you have provided your country details. Enter your country details in the panel above to view information relevant to your situation.

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How to submit

Payment methods and receiving centre details if applicable.

Notes

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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 New Zealand traveller declaration (NZTD).

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 do not meet our character requirements
  • your circumstances have changed since you were issued 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.

Work

You may work in any employment, including self-employment, in any location in New Zealand.

Work

You must remain in the Edmund Hillary Fellowship for the duration of the visa.

No welfare assistance

You must not apply for or accept welfare assistance while in New Zealand.

Visa expiry

Your visa will expire after 36 months. You can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa after 30 months if you remain in the Edmund Hillary Fellowship.