WG5.10 Ministers of religion, missionaries, and members of religious orders (12/09/2005)

1. Work visas may be issued for both short-term and long-term engagements to Ministers of religion, missionaries and members of religious orders who belong to religious denominations or groups specifically recognised under immigration policy.
2. Recognised religions and denominations are:

   Adidam	Maitreya Buddhist
   Ananda Marga	Methodist
   Anglican	MMM International (NZ)
   Apostolic	Muslim
   Asian Outreach	Navigators
   Assemblies of God	New Covenant Ministries International (N.Z.)
   Associated Churches of Christ	New Life Churches of N.Z.
   Auckland Christian Mandarin Church	New Testament Church Inc.
   Bahai	North Shore Church of Christ
   Baptist	Open Brethren
   Buddhist	Orthodox (Greek & Rumanian)
   Calvary Chapel New Zealand	Presbyterian
   Campus Crusade for Christ	Quaker Religious Society of Friends
   Chengzhen Temple	Reformed Churches of New Zealand Community
   Children's Bible Ministries	Roman Catholic
   Christian Community	Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
   Christian Fellowships	Salvation Army
   Christian Missionary Alliance	Samoan Seventh Day Adventist Church
   Christian Outreach Centre	Samoan Worship Centre Christian Ministries
   Church of the Nazarene	Scripture Union New Zealand
   Church of Tonga	Seventh Day Adventist
   Congregational	Sikh
   Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa	The Spirit of Jesus Christ Church
   Elim	Sufi Lodge Aotearoa
   Family Federation for World Peace and Unification NZ	Syrian Orthodox Church
   Free Church of Tonga	Tian Yue Temple Charitable Trust
   Gelugpa Buddhist Centre (NZ)	Tokaikolo Christian Church
   Grace Presbyterian Church of New Zealand	Traditional Roman Catholic Board (Society of St. Pius Xth)
   Hebrew Congregation - Jewish	True Jesus Church
   Hindu	Unitarian
   Hosanna Christ Gospel Church	United Church of God
   Institute of Basic Life Principles Church Inc	United Missionary Fellowship Trust
   International Buddhist Meditation Temple	United Pentecostal Church International (New Zealand)
   International Harvesters Ministries of New Zealand	Voice of Christ Full Gospel
   International Society for Krishna Consciousness	WEC International (World-wide Evangelisation for Christ)
   International Student Ministries	Wesleyan Methodist Church of New Zealand
   Jehovah's Witnesses	Word of Life Church
   Jesus is Lord Church	World Outreach International
   Korean Evangelical Church of NZ	Yogi Divine Society (NZ) Inc.
   Latter-day Saints - Mormon	Youth for Christ NZ
   Lutheran	YWAM

3. New Zealand branches should assess and determine proposals to include religions and denominations not included in the above list. When a proposal is approved by a New Zealand branch, Service Design Group, Workforce at the National Office of Department of Labour, should be informed so that the details can be included in the next manual amendment.

WG5.10.1 Short-term engagements

1. Work visas authorising a permit for the length of the appointment, up to a maximum of 12 months, may be issued to Ministers of religion, missionaries or members of religious orders coming to New Zealand on a short-term appointment or exchange:
   1. to give instruction in religious studies, or
   2. to conduct lectures or seminars, or
   3. to carry out speaking engagements.
2. Visa and immigration officers must sight evidence that applicants have either:
   1. a salary or official income from the overseas religious organisation to cover their accommodation and expenses; or
   2. accommodation and maintenance from the host organisation in New Zealand.

WG5.10.5 Long-term engagements

1. Ministers of religion, missionaries and members of religious orders coming to New Zealand to undertake religious work or training within a New Zealand religious community, may be issued with work visas authorising a permit for the length of their appointment or assignment, up to a maximum of 3 years.
2. Visa and immigration officers must sight evidence that the sponsoring body guarantees accommodation, maintenance and repatriation.
3. If the assignment or appointment is extended, further permits allowing a maximum stay of 4 years from the date of arrival may be granted, provided that:
   1. the sponsoring body supports a further stay, and
   2. the sponsorship arrangements are renewed, and
   3. the applicant continues to meet the standard requirements for a work permit.

Effective 12/09/2005