Religious Workers Resident Visa — Support a candidate's visa application
If you are a religious organisation that has a long-term need for a religious worker and you can offer them religious work and your sponsorship for 5 years. You can only employ people already living in New Zealand who have been doing religious work here on a valid Religious Workers Visa for at least 3 years.
What an employer needs to do
Sponsorship
You must sponsor your religious worker for a period of 5 years from the first day they are granted residence.
To sponsor a religious worker’s resident visa application, you must be a representative of a religious organisation:
- that is registered as a charity with Charities Services
- that can meet the requirements for acceptable sponsors for a period of 5 years after your religious worker’s resident visa is granted, including providing them with accommodation and financial support if they need it
- that’s main purpose is to advance religion
- that has a genuine need for the sponsored religious worker to do religious work for them.
You must complete a Sponsorship Form for Religious Workers, as evidence of your sponsorship.
Your responsibilities as a sponsor
Job offer
You must provide religious work for at least 5 years.
The work you offer can be paid or unpaid, but it must be mostly made up of one or more of the following religious activities:
- teaching religious scripture or philosophy
- leading religious ceremonies, worship or prayer
- ordaining new religious leaders, initiating new members into your religious community, carrying out religious ceremonies
- providing spiritual guidance and care.
If the work is paid employment for salary or wages, you must provide an employment agreement that complies with employment law.
Employee rights and responsibilities — Employment New Zealand
Your employment and/or job description should be included with your 'Sponsorship Form for Religious Workers'.
If the work is unpaid or paid by other means, you must provide a job description.
What happens next
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Step 1: Religious worker applies for a resident visa
Your religious worker completes a residence application.
For us to accept their application, they must send us all the information we ask for, including evidence they have an offer of religious work and sponsorship from a religious organisation that’s an acceptable sponsor.
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Step 2: Wait for a decision
We make a decision about your candidate’s application as soon as we can. You can view our historic visa timeframes below.
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Step 3: Religious worker starts work
As soon as your religious worker has been granted a work visa, they can come to New Zealand.
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Step 4: Religious worker continues to work for you
If we grant your religious worker a resident visa, it will be conditional on:
- them doing religious work for you for a period of 5 years
- you sponsoring them for a period of 5 years from the first day we grant their resident visa.