China Skilled Workers Visa
Apply for this visa if you have a job offer for a role on the China skilled job list. You must be a citizen of the People's Republic of China and meet the listed requirements.
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Length of stay
Up to
3 years
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Cost
From
NZD $1355
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Processing time
80% within
5 weeks
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Visas available
Each year
1,000
To apply you must:
- be a citizen of the People's Republic of China
- be living in China, or lawfully in New Zealand
- have an offer of full-time work in a 'skilled work' job
- be qualified to do the work you have been offered
- be registered if working in certain occupations
- meet the other requirements of this visa.
This visa lets you:
- work in the job, for the employer, in the location specified on your visa
- stay in New Zealand for up to 3 years
- study for up to 3 months in any 12-month period
- travel in and out of New Zealand.
The length of your stay will depend on the length of your job offer.
If you get a visa for less than 3 years, you can apply for another visa for the balance of the time. You will need to continue to meet all of the criteria to be given another visa.
You cannot include your partner or dependent children in your visa application, but they can apply for visas based on their relationship to you.
How long you can stay
You can stay in New Zealand for up to 3 years.
Who can apply
Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.
Identity
You must provide proof of your identity:
- 2 acceptable photos of your head and shoulders
- your passport or
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.
Note
Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave New Zealand.
If you are applying from China
Also provide your:
- Hukou (household registration book)
- Chinese identity card.
If you are submitting a paper application form in China, you must also complete a supplementary form.
Health
You must be in good health.
You must have a chest X-ray and a medical examination as proof of your good health.
If you are applying from China
You must provide a chest X-ray completed in the last 3 months, even if you have provided one to us previously, if:
- you have spent 6 months in a row in China since the last X-ray certificate was issued, and
- you are now coming to New Zealand 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.
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.
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.
If you are 16 years old or younger you do not need to provide 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.
If you provide a police certificate that is not in English, you must provide an
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
- you provided in any previous applications.
Citizenship
You must be a citizen of the People's Republic of China.
You must provide a valid People's Republic of China passport.
Location
When you apply, you must be either living in China or lawfully in New Zealand.
If you are living in China, you must provide documents that prove where you are living now. Examples include:
- current utility bills
- recent pay slips.
If you are in New Zealand, we will check our records to make sure you are in New Zealand lawfully.
Note
It is OK to apply while in New Zealand, if you are here either:
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- on a visitor visa, which you were granted to arrange New Zealand registration for your occupation
- on a work or student visa.
New Zealand job offer
You will need a job offer for a
The jobs we consider as 'skilled work' for this visa are:
- auditor
- automotive electrician
- boatbuilder
- computer applications engineer
- design engineer — electronics or product engineer
- diesel mechanics
- early childhood teacher
- electronics technician
- electrician
- film animator
- fitter and turner
- fitter or welder
- medical diagnostic radiographer or medical radiation therapist
- motor mechanic
- plumber
- registered nurse
- senior test analyst
- structural engineer
- university and higher education lecturer or tutor
- veterinarian.
You must provide a copy of your employment agreement which shows:
- the job you will be working in that is considered skilled work for this visa
- your employer's name and contact details
- your working hours, which must be full time
- the length of your contract
- details of any qualifications or experience you will need to do the work.
Employee rights and responsibilities — Employment New Zealand
Qualifications
You must be qualified to do the work you have been offered.
The evidence you must provide depends on the job you will be doing.
Any qualifications you have must be comparable to New Zealand qualifications in the
Check the qualifications you need
- a degree majoring in accountancy that is comparable to level 7 on the NZQCF, and
- membership with New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (NZICA).
- automotive engineering
- automotive electrical engineering, or
- automotive electrical engineering and mechanical engineering — relevant strand is 'electrical and electronics'.
- a degree majoring in computer science, information science or information technology that is comparable with level 7 on the NZQCF, and
- 3 years of relevant work experience.
- a degree majoring in electronics, computer science or telecommunications that is comparable with level 7 on the NZQCF, and
- 3 years of relevant work experience.
- a qualification in Early Childhood Education for ages 0 to 5 at level 7 on the NZQCF that has been approved by the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, and
- New Zealand registration.
- a full or limited certificate from the Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB), and
- New Zealand registration.
- our National Diploma in Engineering (Electronics) at level 6 on the NZQCF, or
- a relevant degree at level 7 on the NZQF — for example a Bachelor of Technology in Electronics, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Engineering.
- fine arts
- graphic design
- computer science
- software engineering, or
- film.
- multimedia
- computer graphics
- digital design
- computer programming, or
- software development.
- maintenance and diagnostics in mechanical engineering, or
- engineering, machining and toolmaking.
- maintenance and diagnostics in mechanical engineering
- engineering — fabrication with strands in welding or heavy fabrication.
- a bachelor's degree at level 7 on the NZQCF in health science specialising in medical radiation therapy or medical imaging, and
- New Zealand registration with the Medical Radiation Technologists Board.
- Bachelor of Nursing
- Diploma in Comprehensive Nursing, or
- diploma or hospital-based certificate.
- a relevant degree that is comparable with level 7 on the NZQCF — for example, a Bachelor of Technology in electronics, a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Engineering, and
- 3 years of relevant work experience.
- a Washington Accord accredited engineering degree, or
- a relevant degree that is comparable with level 7 on the NZQF, and be registered on the International Professional Engineers Register or the Asia Pacific Economic Co-Operation (APEC) Engineers Register.
- Master's degree, or
- Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD).
You must have both:
You must have a qualification that is comparable with the National Certificate in Motor Industry at level 4 on the NZQF in:
You must have a qualification that is comparable with the National Certificate in Boatbuilding at level 4 on the NZQCF.
You must have both:
You must have both:
At least 12 months of your work experience must have been in the last 18 months.
You must have a qualification that is comparable with the National Certificate in Motor Industry (Automotive Heavy Engineering), which is at level 4 on the NZQCF.
You must have both:
The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand registers and certifies teachers working in New Zealand.
For overseas-trained teachers — Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand
You must have both:
The EWRB has information about how to register if you trained and worked in another country.
You must have a qualification comparable with:
You must also have 3 years of relevant work experience. At least 12 months of your work experience must have been in the last 18 months.
You must have a degree that is comparable with level 7 on the NZQCF in one of the following:
You must have specialised in:
You must have a qualification comparable with a National Certificate at level 5 on the NZQCF in:
You must have a qualification comparable with a National Certificate at level 5 on the NZQF in:
You must have both:
Internationally Qualified — How to Register — Medical Radiation Technologists Board
You must have a qualification comparable with the National Certificate in Motor Industry (Automotive Engineering), which is at level 4 on the NZQCF.
You must have New Zealand Plumbing Registration with the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB).
You must have a:
You must also have New Zealand registration with the Nursing Council of New Zealand.
Register as a nurse — Nursing Council of New Zealand Te Kaunihera Tapuhi o Aotearoa
You must have both:
At least 12 months of your work experience must have been in the last 18 months.
You must have:
You must have a:
You must have New Zealand registration with the Veterinary Council of New Zealand.
Occupational registration
You may need New Zealand registration.
You must provide us with a
- auditor
- early childhood teacher
- electrician
- medical diagnostic radiographer or medical radiation therapist
- plumber
- registered nurse
- veterinarian.
Check if you need occupational registration for your job
Note
If you need New Zealand registration to work in your occupation in New Zealand, you must come to New Zealand to start the registration process. You may apply for a visitor visa so you can do this. Before we can grant a visitor visa, we will need written confirmation from a New Zealand registration body that you are eligible for registration.
How to pay and submit
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When you arrive
Entry permission
You must apply for permission to enter New Zealand. You do this by completing a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) form.
You can start your digital declaration any time, but the earliest you can submit it is 24 hours before starting your travel to New Zealand.
A paper declaration form is available for travellers who cannot complete it online.
New Zealand Traveller Declaration
New Zealand Customs and Biosecurity also check that you meet their entry requirements.
Alert
You can be refused entry permission if you:
- do not meet our character requirements
- have had a change in circumstances since we issued your visa
- refuse to let us take your photo, fingerprints or an iris scan.
While you are in New Zealand
These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa. Your visa conditions are recorded in your eVisa.
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.
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.
Visa expiry
You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.
Note
If you wish, you can apply for another China Skilled Workers visa after your visa expires. You will need to have been outside of New Zealand for 3 years before you can apply.