WG5.10 Ministers of religion, missionaries, and members of religious orders (15/11/2004)

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	Methodist
   Ananda Marga	Muslim
   Anglican	Navigators
   Apostolic	New Covenant Ministries International (N.Z.)
   Asian Outreach	New Life Churches of N.Z.
   Assemblies of God	North Shore Church of Christ
   Associated Churches of Christ	Open Brethren
   Auckland Christian Mandarin Church	Orthodox (Greek & Rumanian)
   Bahai	Presbyterian
   Baptist	Quaker Religious Society of Friends
   Buddhist	Reformed Churches of New Zealand Community
   Campus Crusade for Christ	Roman Catholic
   Chengzhen Temple	Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
   Children's Bible Ministries
   Christian Community	Salvation Army
   Christian Fellowships	Samoan Seventh Day Adventist Church
   Christian Missionary Alliance	Scripture Union New Zealand
   Christian Outreach Centre	Seventh Day Adventist
   Church of the Nazarene	Sikh
   Church of Tonga	The Spirit of Jesus Christ Church
   Congregational	Sufi Lodge Aotearoa
   Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa	Syrian Orthodox Church
   Elim	Tian Yue Temple Charitable Trust
   Free Church of Tonga	Tokaikolo Christian Church
   Grace Presbyterian Church of New Zealand
   Hebrew Congregation - Jewish	Traditional Roman Catholic Board (Society of St. Pius Xth)
   Hindu	True Jesus Church
   Hosanna Christ Gospel Church	Unitarian
   Institute of Basic Life Principles Church Inc	United Church of God
   International Harvesters Ministries	United Missionary Fellowship Trust
   International Society for Krishna Consciousness	United Pentecostal Church International (New Zealand)
   International Student Ministries
   Jehovah's Witnesses	Voice of Christ Full Gospel
   Jesus is Lord Church	WEC International (World-wide Evangelisation for Christ)
   Latter-day Saints - Mormon	Wesleyan Methodist Church of New Zealand
   Korean Evangelical Church of NZ	Word of Life Church
   Lutheran	World Outreach International
   Maitreya Buddhist	Yogi Divine Society (NZ) Inc.
   	Youth for Christ NZ
   	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 Excellence Group, at the National Office of the NZIS, 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 15/11/2004