New Zeland Work Visa

If a person has decided to go to New Zealand and work temporarily then he has to apply for his work visa.  Those who have a job ofer from an employer in New Zealand, want to gain work experience or work after studying, want to join a partner and work have to fill in the application for temporary work visa.

Requirements of temporary work visa are:

• Person should be of good character and good health
• Passport must be valid for at least three months before the person arrives in New Zealand
• Person must be genuinely interested to work

Once the person is granted the work visa he should take care of few important things for e.g. the work must be in accordance with the conditions of the particular work visa granted, abide by the laws of the country, should stay only for the period mentioned in the visa. However, citizens of New Zealand or who have a residence visa, Australian citizen or holder of current Australian permanent resident visa do not need temporary work visa.  People who visit for business negotiations, short term sales trip, official trade missions recognised by the Government of New Zealand can enter New Zealand on a visitor visa.

Various other categories under which people apply for temporary work visa are:

If a person has a job offer from an employer in New Zealand and do not fall under the categories of Specialist workers, he can apply for Essential Skill Work category.  The employer will have to show that the job is included in the Essential skills in demand list and that they have tried their best to find a native to fill the position.

Specific Purpose or Event Category is for people who want to work temporarily for any kind of event, show or for certain professional reasons.

If a person is tour guide or escort then he has to apply for a Specific Purpose Work Visa and if he is a Chinese national then he has to apply for China Special Work visa.

Students or trainees who want to gain work experience in New Zealand as part of their course requirement and those who want to work after successfully completing their course have to apply for temporary work visa.

Work Exchange Scheme category is for people who want to take part in this scheme which is pre-approved by the Government and Immigration Authorities in New Zealand.

There are other specialised fields in which people want to work for e.g. chartered foreign fishing vessels, interpreters from Japan, Thai chefs, seasonal worker in horticulture or viticulture industry and members of missionaries and religious institutions.  Each of these categories has to positively apply for temporary work visa.

Chinese nationals who are qualified as chefs, traditional Chinese medical practitioners, Mandarin teacher’s aide, Wushu Martial art coaches and tour guides can enter New Zealand on this category of work visa.  Similarly, Philippines Nationals who are qualified as registered nurses, farm managers or engineering professionals, Vietnamese nationals who are qualified as chefs or engineering professionals, Indonesian nationals who are chefs, halal slaughters and Bahasa Indonesia teacher’s aide can apply for this visa.

On certain grounds a person can be denied a visa if he is unlawfully staying in New Zealand or if a person is not eligible under section 15 & 16 of the Immigration Act 2009. Person must hold a valid work visa before starting to work in New Zealand. Partners and dependent children cannot be included in the same application.  They will have to apply separately for visitor, student or work visa. For a longer stay person has to apply for further work visa. The application forms can be applied in New Zealand or in the overseas offices.

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Australia Visitor Visa

People travelling to Australia might have various reasons for e.g. holiday, sightseeing, visiting a relative or a friend, business visitor or a short – term non work things like medical checkups etc. Whether the visit is for less than 72 hours or for years visitor visa is definitely required.
Under this category there are various sub classes:

Visitor (Subclass 600)

This visa allows a person to visit Australia for business purposes, visit family, or on a tour from a registered agent from the People’s Republic of China for up to 3, 6 or 12 months.  Application charges range from AUD 130 to AUD 335 but the person carrying passports can avail for a free or cheaper visa.  Application can be submitted either online or on paper.

Electronic Travel Authority (Subclass 601)

This visa allows a person to visit Australia as a business visitor he/she can enter Australia as many times up to a year and stay for 3 months for each visit.  Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) can be granted to a person outside Australia and who holds a passport of his country.  Only certain passport holders can apply for this online for e.g. passport holders of Brunei, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and United States.  Travel agents might be required for applying for ETA.  When ETA is applied and decided then the person should be outside Australia. 

Person must apply for ETA 2 weeks before the travel date.  No stamp would be given on the person’s passport but instead a confirmation for records would be provided to the passenger.  A Transaction Reference Number (TRN) would be provided to the passenger whose application is lodged.  Passport, email address and credit card would be required for paying up the service charges.  However, a person who cannot apply online can apply for an ETA in their nearest Immigration office outside Australia or take assistance from travel agents, airlines etc.  Person can also use Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) for free to check for visa details and entitlements.  Visitor should take health insurance while travelling.  Person with criminal convictions would be refused an ETA.   Person should have no debts towards the Australian Government.  Each family member travelling along will have to apply for a separate ETA including children below 18 years of age.  Once the application is processed then the applicant would be immediately informed. 

E Visitor (Subclass 651)

This is an electronically stored authority for travel to Australia. People holding a valid passport and making trips for business purpose or just to visit for a period of 3 months in 12 month duration can be granted an ETA. People can travel for holiday, study in Australia for up to 3 months, can volunteer to work for tourism related schemes.  An e-visitor is linked to the passport no of the traveller so he/she should carry the same passport.  If a new passport is issued then the authorities should be advised.  While in Australia, if a person gets new passport then he does not need to apply for another e-visitor provided the earlier one is still valid.  There is no charge for applying for this subclass. Visitors are requested to fulfil the health requirements (should not have active tuberculosis), should carry a health insurance, should not be convicted and should not hold any debt towards Australia. Separate e-visitor would be required for each member of the family travelling. Once the application is processed notification is provided to the traveller. They should keep safely the e-visitor grant no, date when it starts and the conditions. If the application is not accepted then an email would be sent with the decision.

Special Category Visa (Subclass 444)

This visa is a temporary visa that allows a New Zealand Citizen to stay and work in Australia. If a person has a valid passport, is a citizen of New Zealand, shows completed incoming passenger card and meets the health and character requirements then this visa type can be granted on arrival. Although Australia has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with New Zealand but it is advisable to carry health insurance for items not covered by the agreement.  Applicants above 16 years can be asked to furnish police certificate from their native country and biometrics (scientific form of identification). On arrival the passenger needs to show his New Zealand passport, fill up the incoming passenger card, meet the health and character requirements and thereafter visa would be granted. This visa type is recorded electronically and passport is stamped showing the date of arrival. If a person uses Smart Gate automated border processing system at the Australian Airport, then he would be advised by Smart Gate that visa has been issued.

Some of the other circumstances where a person can apply for this category visa are: enter Australia on any other passport, become a New Zealand citizen after arrival in Australia, enter on any other visa about to end. If a person has ‘no application further’ condition on his visa then he cannot apply for this category. This category visa cannot be applied before arrival in Australia. There is no application charge but other costs have to be incurred in making police and health certificates by the applicant. In relation to applying for this visa (not in Immigration clearance) the department has service standards relating to the time it takes to process the visa.  Person can be asked to provide additional information or interviewed on a given date.  If a person wishes to withdraw the application then a letter can be sent to the Immigration office.  This visa is valid from the time the person enters Australia till the time he leaves the country. 

New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship (Temporary) visa (Subclass 461)

This visa allows a person who is not a citizen of New Zealand to stay in Australia with his/her family member who is a citizen of New Zealand, holds a Special Category Visa (subclass 444) and is either living or accompanying the person. Person can apply for this visa in or outside Australia. This visa allows a person to stay and work in Australia for a period of 5 years from the date the visa is granted. Applicant and his family member should have a valid passport. 

Applicant must be related to the New Zealand Citizen in some way such as spouse, dependent child, relative etc. Certain health and character requirements need to be met. This visa can be applied for while staying in Australia and also outside the country. Necessary forms have to be filled and relevant documents should be submitted in the native Immigration office. Visa authorities take their time in processing the application and they advise the applicant about the status accordingly.

For further information please refer www.goforvisa.com or send an email to info@goforvisa.com

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New Zealand Student Visa Guidance

Student Visa would be required for the students going to New Zealand to study for a period of more than three months. Given below are the entire set of guidelines to attain a New Zealand student visa:

Application form

The first and foremost step is to complete the Student Visa Application Form (INZ 1012) and Student Visa Guide (INZ 1013)

Fee

Students can refer to the website www.immigration.govt.nz/fees to know the fees in their local currency.

Offer of place to stay

The offer of place from a New Zealand Education institute should have the required points:

·

• Education provider’s name and contact details
• Name of the programme of study and its duration
• Tuition fee
• Whether the student has to pay tuition fees
• Whether the fees is domestic or international fees
• Full-time or part-time study
• Confirmation that all requirements under code of practice for the pastoral care of international students are met, including accommodation for students below 18 years of age

Approved Education Providers

Study programmes must be approved by the New Zealand Qualification Authority(NZQA) and be offered by an education institute approved by NZQA

Primary and Secondary Schools

Two types of primary and secondary schools in New Zealand can give seats to International students.

1. State or integrated primary and secondary schools funded by the government
2.  Private primary and secondary schools which are funded through student fees

Tertiary Education Provider

• Private Training Establishments can offer courses which are longer than Three months
• Universities, Polytechnics

Confirmation of Enrollment

If a student is continuing in the same institute then a confirmation of enrolment must be provided carrying:

• The name of the programme
• Annual fee
• Student is a full-time or part-time

Parents or legal guardian

Students enrolled in years 1 to 8 or less than 13 yrs of age should have an accompanying parent or legal guardian.

Health and Character

Students do not need to provide health certificate unless mentioned in Student Visa Application form(INZ 1012) and (INZ 1013).  Chest X-ray certificate has to be provided if the stay is for more than 6 months.  Students must carry travel insurance. 

Students studying for more than two years must provide a police certificate from the country of citizenship after reaching 17 years of age.

Evidence of funds

Students must show that financial support would be provided during the entire stay.

Return air ticket

Passport which is valid for atleast 3 months past the end of stay.

How to Apply

Gather all documents and submit your application to:

Student Processing Unit

Immigration New Zealand

PO BOX 1409

Palmerston North 4440

Overseas students can submit their forms to their nearest New Zealand Immigration office.

People who do not need a student visa

• Citizen of New Zealand or Australia would not require a student visa
• People undertaking short courses which are exempted by New Zealand Qualification Authority for not more than three calendar months
•  Temporary visa valid for 24 months or more
• School age children: school-age visitor visa holders can attend a primary, intermediate or secondary school for a period of 3 months per calendar year provided the study finishes within the calendar year.  To be considered a domestic student the child must hold a student visa
• Working Holiday Schemes: under this students may undertake one or more courses of study as long as the total duration of the courses does not exceed three or six months

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