Vietnam Special Work Visa

Visa details

You can apply for this visa if you are a citizen of Vietnam and have been offered work in New Zealand as a chef or engineering professional. You must also be qualified for the role you have been offered.

Length of stay
Up to

3 years

Quota
Each year

200

Cost
From
NZD $700
Processing time
90% within
49 days
With this visa you can
  • Come to New Zealand to work as a chef or engineering professional.
  • Study for up to 3 months in any 12-month period.
Things to note
  • At any one time, under the Vietnam Special Work Instructions, New Zealand can have 100 Vietnamese chefs and 100 Vietnamese engineering professionals.
  • The length of your stay will depend on the length of your job offer.If you’re granted a visa for less than 3 years, you can apply for another visa for the balance of the time while in New Zealand. You’ll need to continue to meet all of the criteria to be granted another visa.
  • 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

Who can apply

The criteria and evidence below will provide you with the information you need to provide to meet the requirements of this visa.

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

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

Character

You must be of good character

You may need to provide police certificates as proof of your good character.

If you are aged 17 or older and plan to stay in New Zealand for more than 24 months (including any time you have already spent in New Zealand), you must provide police certificates from:

  • any country you are a citizen of
  • any country you have spent more than 5 years in since you turned 17.

You do not need to provide police certificates if:

  • you have provided them to us with an earlier visa application, and
  • they were issued in the previous 24 months.

Good character

How to get a police certificate

Citizenship

You must be a citizen of Vietnam

You must provide a valid Vietnam passport.

Location

You must be living in Vietnam when you apply

Any documents that prove you are living in Vietnam now. Examples include:

  • current utility bills
  • recent pay slips.
Tips

  1. If you’re already in New Zealand on a Vietnam Special Work Category visa and you’re applying for another visa under this category for the balance of the 3 year maximum, it’s OK to apply while in New Zealand.

Ordinarily resident

You must live in Vietnam permanently

Any documents that prove you live in Vietnam permanently. Examples include:

  • letters sent to your home address
  • tax records
  • references from your employer.

New Zealand job offer

You must have an offer of full-time work

You must provide a copy of your employment agreement for full-time work, which must include:

  • a description of the work you’ll be doing as a chef or engineering professional
  • your employer’s name and contact details
  • details of your pay and other conditions of your employment
  • your working hours
  • the length of your contract
  • details of any qualifications, experience or occupational registration you’ll need to do the work.

ANZSCO Skill Level

The work you’ve been offered must be assessed at the appropriate ANZSCO skill level

We use the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) to assess if your job offer has the appropriate Skill Level for us to grant you a visa under the Vietnam Special Work Category.

If you’re a chef, your job offer must be assessed as ANZSCO Skill Level 3.

If you’re an engineering professional, your job offer must be assessed as ANZSCO Skill Level 1.

If we’re not sure about the skill level of the work you’ve been offered, we may contact you or your employer for more information.

Tips

  1. If you’re a registered nurse, we don’t use ANZSCO to assess the skill level of your job offer.
    For more information about the ANZSCO, visit:
    Australian Bureau of Statistics

Qualifications (chefs)

You must be qualified to do the work you’ve been offered

You must have a qualification or practical work experience relevant to your New Zealand job offer as a chef.

Your evidence may include a certified copy of:

  • your qualification
  • a letter from your current or previous employer(s) explaining the work you’ve done for them.
Tips

  1. ANZSCO sets out the qualifications and/or work experience that are relevant for your occupation.

    For more information about the work experience and/or qualifications you’ll need, visit:
    Australian Bureau of Statistics

Qualifications (engineering professionals)

You must be qualified to do the work you’ve been offered

You must provide a certified copy of either:

  • a bachelor’s degree (level 7 or above) and registration on the International Professional Engineers Register or Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Engineers Register
  • a Washington Accord accredited engineering degree.
Tips

  1. Overseas qualifications are assessed for their equivalence to New Zealand qualifications by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

    For more information on the NZQA, visit:

    New Zealand Qualifications Authority

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.

Enter country details

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.

Enter country details

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 an arrival card, which you are given on the way to New Zealand.

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

You have to come to New Zealand within 6 months of the date your visa is granted.

After you arrive in New Zealand, you can come and go from New Zealand as many times as you like before your visa expires.

Work

You may work only in the specific occupation, for the employer and in the location specified on your visa.

Study

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

You can also do any training required by your employer as part of your employment.

Visa expiry

You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.

Notes

  • If you’ve been in New Zealand on a Vietnam Special Work Category visa for 3 years, you can only apply for another Vietnam Special Work Category visa after you’ve been outside of New Zealand for 3 years.