Supplementary Seasonal Employment Work Visa

Visa details

You can apply for this visa if you are already in New Zealand on a student or visitor visa and want to do seasonal work in the horticulture or viticulture industry.

Length of stay

6 months

Age range

18 and over

Quota
Each year

Each season

Cost
From
NZD $700
Processing time
is a
priority
With this visa you can
Things to note
  • You can apply for this visa if you currently hold a visitor or student visa. 
  • You cannot include a partner or dependent children in your visa application.

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

Identity

You must provide proof of your identity

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

Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave New Zealand.

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.

Health

You must be in good health

We may ask you to have a chest x-ray, a medical examination or both as proof of your good health.

If you are staying less than:

  • 6 months you do not normally need a chest x-ray. 
  • 12 months you do not normally need a medical certificate. 

Who needs an x-ray or medical examination

When we process your application we let you know if we need you to have a chest x-ray or medical examination.

Acceptable standard of health criteria for visa approvals

Please only provide medical certificates if requested

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.

Character

You must be of good character

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.

Genuine intentions

You must genuinely intend to meet the conditions of your visa

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

Age

You must be 18 or over

We check your identity documents — for example, your passport — to confirm your age.

Location

You must be already in New Zealand

We will check our records for evidence you are already in New Zealand.

Current student, visitor or work visa

You must hold a current Student or Visitor visa

We will check our records for evidence of your current visa. 

People who hold a Work visa are not eligible for this visa if they apply after 31 December 2022.

Seasonal work

You must genuinely intend to do seasonal work for an eligible employer

Evidence that you intend to work for an eligible employer can include:

  • documents that show you’ve booked travel to or accommodation in a region where SSE-approved employers are located
  • documents that describe the seasonal work  that may be available for you to do in the horticulture or viticulture industries, like information about SSE-approved employers, crops and regions, or a harvest trail plan
  • records showing you’ve contacted a Seasonal Labour Co-ordinator 
  • records showing you’ve contacted an SSE-approved employer.
Tips

Seasonal work must be planting, maintaining, harvesting, or packing crops in the horticulture or viticulture industry. Any work outside of these specified roles (for example in plant nurseries or in food processing and manufacturing) does not qualify.

SSE approved employers have Immigration New Zealands approval to employ overseas workers to do seasonal work when there are not enough New Zealanders do the work.

Supplementary Seasonal Employers list

Onward travel

You must have a ticket to leave New Zealand or enough money to buy one

Evidence can include:

  • your travel ticket
  • proof you have enough money to buy a return ticket to your home country, eg bank or credit card statements.

No previous SSE (or TRSE) work visa

You must not have been granted an SSE (or TRSE) work visa before

We will check our records to make sure we have not already granted you a Transitioning to Recognised Seasonal Employer or Supplementary Seasonal Employment Work Visa.

Tips

We no longer grant TRSE visas, they’ve been replaced by the Seasonal Supplementary Employment (SSE) Work Visa.

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

We cannot display any receiving centre or payment method 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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Conditions

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

Study

You can do any study or training that’s authorised by your SSE approved employer as part of your employment.

You can do other study as long as you won’t be studying for more than 3 months in any 12-month period.

Onward travel

You must have the means to leave New Zealand at all times during your stay.

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.