New Zealand work visa requirements
Working in New Zealand and applying for a work visa has its conditions and requirements. Some New Zealand work visas allow you to reside in this country and have the right to live, work, and study indefinitely. The applicants can obtain a New Zealand residency after two years of work. People who immigrate to New Zealand on a work visa can bring their family with themselves. The New Zealand work visa application has two steps.
Applicants are at a stage where privileges such as age, work experience, educational certificates, and job offer are pretty critical.
Each month, the New Zealand government selects one eligible applicant to enter this country and obtain residency. Gaining 160 points is a prerequisite for entering New Zealand. Applicants who start a new business or move their successful business to New Zealand can reside with their families.
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Topics reviewed in this article:
- New Zealand Immigration Score
- Score criteria when assessing a visa application can guide applicants and job seekers in New Zealand.
- New Zealand work visa and requirements
- New Zealand work and companion visa
- Salary in New Zealand
- New Zealand work visa and job-search
- New Zealand work visa and unemployment
- New Zealand work visa and employment agencies
- New Zealand Required Jobs
- New Zealand work visa, residence, and citizenship

New Zealand Immigration Score
Working in New Zealand is very popular among applicants. Non-citizens or residents of New Zealand need a work visa to enter this country and must meet one of the following conditions:
- Have a job offer from a New Zealand employer
- For a work-related purpose in New Zealand
- You have a business partner and want to move to New Zealand to continue working.
- Those who have studied in New Zealand and want to work there
There are over 80 types of visas that allow you to work in New Zealand, but you must decide which one is best for you before applying. Job seekers in New Zealand must match their work experience with their skills and study level, and the field code they choose must match the job offered.
- People who are at level one, two, and three in terms of skills should act in one of the following ways:
- People who have five years of work experience according to the specified criteria can replace this work experience with their degree (Applicants’ eligibility will be assessed)
- Applicants’ jobs must be on the labor shortages list and meet the conditions.
- Applicants must prove that they have sufficient experience in the declared fields by the New Zealand Government.
- People whose skills are at levels four and five:
- The applicants who fall within the New Zealand framework Qualifications for a work visa or whose documents are exempt from the evaluation list must have at least three years of relevant work experience.
- The applicant’s job must be in the labor shortages job lists.
- Exempt from assessment degrees:
The New Zealand Competency Authority (NZQA) does not evaluate these qualifications. The qualifications on the exemptions list are not comparable to a New Zealand graduate. It does not affect the expedited enrollment, their salary, or the employment purpose.
- Eligible for exemption from the evaluation:
- This exemption is listed scientifically in the table below.
- The institutions that award the degree are listed in the table below.
- The eligibility to use this exemption and the year it was granted are in the table below.
Table for awarding bachelor’s and master’s degrees from institutions:
| Institute | Eligibility of the year |
| Allameh Tabatabaei University | 2000 |
| Amirkabir University of Technology | 1997 |
| Mashhad Ferdowsi University | 1997 |
| University of Science and Industry | 1997 |
| Isfahan University of Technology | 1997 |
| Khajeh Nasir Tusi University | 1997 |
| Shahid Beheshti University | 2000 |
| Shahid Chamran University | 2000 |
| Sharif University of Technology | 1997 |
| Shiraz university | 1997 |
| Trabiat Modares University | 1997 |
| University of Esfahan | 2000 |
| Tabriz University | 1997 |
| University of Tehran | 1997 |
Score criteria when assessing a visa application can guide applicants and job seekers in New Zealand.
· The age range for a New Zealand work visa
| Age | Point |
| Below 20 | 0 |
| 20 to 39 | 30 |
| 40 to 44 | 20 |
| 45 to 49 | 10 |
| 50 to 55 | 5 |
If you have a job invitation or employment contract or have been working in New Zealand, you can provide a copy of the following documents to provide better services:
- Detailed job description in New Zealand
- When you were employed in New Zealand
- Your working hours in New Zealand
- Your yearly income and salary
- Your start date in New Zealand
A skilled job offer in New Zealand earns 50 points.
- A skilled job offer
| Specific disciplines facing labor shortages | 10 points |
| A skilled Jobs or Skilled Job Offers in New Zealand | 20 points |
| People who plan to work outside of Auckland | 30 points |
| High salary | 20 points |
- Working experience
| Working experience | Points |
| Two years | 10 |
| Four years | 20 |
| Six years | 30 |
| Eight years | 40 |
| More than ten years | 50 |
The applicants must demonstrate work experience by submitting the following documents.
- Time and date of the beginning of your work
- Your working field
- You work an average of a few hours a week.
- At least one year of work experience in New Zealand 10 points
- Work experience in deprived areas facing labor shortages
| two to five years | 10 points |
| six years and more | 15 points |
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- English language
Applicants must obtain the English language required test scores, which generally is IELTS 6.5 or higher, TOEFL79 or higher, and PTE58 or higher in all four skills (speaking, writing, listening, and reading). The date of your language test and IELTS results past two years when registering for a work residence and work visa.
- You will obtain 20 points if your spouse works in New Zealand.
- Spouse’s educational certificates
Level eight to seven 10 points
Level nine to ten 20 points
- People who have graduated from New Zealand.
| Master’s degree or equivalent for two years | 15 points |
| University study or the equivalent for a year | 10 points |
| Bachelor Degree | 10 points |
| Acquiring a degree before July 25, 2011 | 5 points |
The New Zealand government allows people who contribute to the country’s economic growth to reside in New Zealand and work by a work visa. They must obtain at least 100 points out of 210 to receive this visa.
The applicants can take their spouse and children below 24 with them by this visa.
New Zealand work visa and requirements
Working in New Zealand and obtaining a work visa requires the following documents.
- Two photos
- Original and copy of passport
- Original and copy of identity documents such as birth certificate
- Your passport must be valid for at least three months.
- Applicants who have resided in a country for the past ten years must have a no criminal record certificate.
- Proof of good personality (completed personality questionnaire, police certificate from your country of origin, and any country where you have lived for at least five years).
- Proof of health (complete health questionnaire and medical examination after arrival).
- Having age requirements
90% of visa applications are currently completed within 26 months. During this period, various residence visas, a small number of which are received, will be processed.
New Zealand work and companion visa
New Zealand work visa and obtaining a companion visa are vital factors for the applicants. Working in New Zealand and family reunification permits are described according to the New Zealand Immigration Service website. The applicant can apply for a companion visa and family reunification for one’s spouse and the dependent child up to 24. They can reside as long as the central person is allowed to stay in this country.
Salary in New Zealand
The New Zealand Standard Job Classification identifies three job skills levels mentioned above. The applicants will receive 25 dollars per hour for working on these three levels. People who work in job codes between one and three will get 25 New Zealand dollars per hour, and people working at Level five will earn 37.5 New Zealand dollars an hour.
New Zealand work visa and job-search
We will mention the different ways to apply for a work visa in New Zealand and finding a job in the following. People who want to work in New Zealand for three months need a visitor visa because they are not eligible for a work visa.
They can do some business activities with this visa, such as:
- Starting a new business
- Participate in a formal business program recognized by the government.
- Conduct business negotiations with foreign companies’ representatives in New Zealand.
- Artists who intend to participate in prestigious festivals in New Zealand
- Journalists or media workers working in New Zealand
- Professors who intend to teach or do research activities
- Athletes were invited to a competition in New Zealand.
If an employer has offered a job for a skilled person and a New Zealander is not eligible for it, foreigners can enter New Zealand on a work visa. After working for two years in New Zealand, they can obtain a residence permit, and after five years of residence in New Zealand, they can become this country’s citizen.
New Zealand work visa and unemployment
According to a person’s characteristics and conditions, unemployed refers to a person who has no problems and is of working age and ready to enter the job market. The unemployment rate in 2019 in New Zealand was around 4%.
New Zealand work visa and employment agencies
The applicants can apply for a job in New Zealand through employment agencies and websites. You can introduce yourself to employers by submitting your resume to these websites. The applicants must learn the correct way to write a resume because their employer will determine their qualifications for a job position by reviewing their professional resume. their resume should include a description of all their specialties and motivation for working in the required job position. New Zealand job search websites include the following.
- careers.govt.nz
- careers.govt.nz
New Zealand Required Jobs
Immigrating to New Zealand by specialization is one of the most popular ways. The following is a required skills list to obtain a New Zealand work visa.
- Long-term skills: This category includes jobs and skills that regularly require skilled workers across New Zealand. If you are working in a profession and have the necessary conditions, you can get a work visa. For example, if you are eligible for a two-year residency and meet the standard requirements, you can earn at least 45,000 dollars. The employer’s job offer, your work experience, and degree are very efficient in this type of visa. The required skills and occupations are:
- Construction projects and their sub-fields
- Technical engineering disciplines like chemical engineering, materials engineer, civil engineer, geotechnics, etc.
- Medical sub-disciplines like psychologist, radiologist, obstetrician, etc.
- Car-related trades such as car technicians
- The food industry
Immediate Skills: This type of work visa includes skilled workers that New Zealand urgently needs, and none of New Zealand citizens or residents are available for such occupations. Such as:
- Forestry and agricultural occupations
- Construction disciplines like building inspector and surveyor, construction, etc.
- University occupations such as a postgraduate doctorate, university lecturer, etc.
New Zealand work visa, residence, and citizenship
The applicants must prove that they are committed to living in New Zealand to obtain permanent residence in this country. They can show this commitment in the following ways.
- The person must have resided in New Zealand for at least 184 days during the two last years to apply for permanent residence (provide travel documents.)
- Proof of income and tax payment in New Zealand for at least two years before applying for permanent residence. If the applicants have paid tax in a third country, they cannot use the documents as proof of their commitment to New Zealand, and the tax must have been paid to the New Zealand government from the beginning for two years.
- Invest 1,000,000 dollars for two years in New Zealand in the form of bank, property ownership, and business ownership documents
- Having a business in New Zealand. (it must be successful and profitable in New Zealand) If the person buys a business must have at least 25% of its share. They must show documents like commercial accounts and letters and emails from the New Zealand statutory accountant.
- Buy a house 12 months before applying for residency.
The applicants must be a New Zealand resident for five years, be fluent in English with no help not to face daily problems, have not committed any crime, and observe the citizenship duties, responsibilities, and privileges to obtain citizenship.
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