This visa allows young people from certain countries to live and work in New Zealand for a limited period of time. Applications can usually be submitted from any country, including from within New Zealand, though some schemes (such as China’s) may require you to be in your home country at the time you apply.
Who can apply for a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa?
In order to submit an application for a Working Holiday Visa, you must be a national of one of the following:
| Working Holiday Visa Schemes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Argentina Austria Belgium* Brazil Canada* Chile China Croatia Czechia Denmark* Estonia Finland* France* Germany* Hungary |
Hong Kong Ireland* Israel Italy* Japan* Korea Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malaysia Malta Mexico Netherlands* Norway* Peru |
Philippines Poland Portugal Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden* Taiwan Thailand Turkey United Kingdom* USA* Uruguay Vietnam |
Individuals who do not hold a passport from any of the above will not be able to apply for a Working Holiday Visa and may instead wish to consider an alternative work visa or visitor visa.
You must also:
- be aged between 18 and 30 (or between 18 and 35 for certain countries)
- be prepared to provide a medical certificate if you are applying from within New Zealand, or are planning to stay in New Zealand for longer than 12 months
- meet your qualifying scheme’s conditions on how much money you must have when you arrive in New Zealand, and what kind of work you are permitted to carry out while in New Zealand
What does a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa offer?
The precise entitlements of each individual Working Holiday Visa scheme differ, depending on the nationality of the applicant. Generally, however, successful applicants can expect:
- The right to live and work in New Zealand for up to 12 months
- For applicants from Canada, the maximum length of this visa is 23 months
- For applicants from the UK, the maximum length of this visa is 36 months
- The right to study in New Zealand for up to six months
You will not usually be permitted to bring family members to New Zealand on the basis of this visa, nor will you be able to take up a permanent job with an employer in New Zealand without applying for a new work visa.
Applicants who complete at least three months of seasonal work in the horticulture or viticulture industries in New Zealand may be eligible to apply for a three month extension to their initial Working Holiday Visa.
An individual is only entitled to one Working Holiday Visa (and one three-month extension). If you have already held a Working Holiday Visa, you will not be permitted to apply for a second one.
How do I apply for a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa?
If you hold an eligible passport and meet the age and other eligibility criteria for a Working Holiday Visa, you can apply for one online providing that the scheme under which you intend to apply is open for new applications.
NB: Some countries’ Working Holiday Visa schemes have an annual quota for visas issued. Once this quota has been reached, that country’s scheme will close until the following year.
Applications for a Working Holiday Visa cost from around NZD $420. 80% of applications are typically processed within five weeks.
Once your application has been processed and a Working Holiday Visa granted, you must ‘activate’ it by arriving in New Zealand within 12 months. If you do not arrive in New Zealand by this time, it will lapse and it is likely that you will not be permitted to apply for a new one.
Mohamed Anas Sirajur Raheem
BA (Political Studies), LLB (VUW)
Mohamed is an enrolled Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, specializing in immigration law.
He is a former New Zealand Immigration Officer (Visa Services) and Border Officer at Auckland International Airport. He has several years of experience working in various Government Departments in New Zealand and has also worked as a Licensed Immigration Adviser at a prominent New Zealand Immigration firm.
His areas of expertise and interest are in the fields of General Skilled Migration, Temporary Work (Long and Short Stay), Business visas, Partner, Parent and Child Visa streams.
Mohamed was inspired to pursue a career in immigration by his own migration experiences. Over the years he has assisted individuals, families, large corporations, Professional sportspeople, and Entertainers (singers, speakers, and actors) to come to New Zealand.
