New Zealand is a beautiful country and a perfect choice for those who love nature. New Zealand is very picturesque with its beautiful mountains, beaches, volcanoes and national parks. Add the easy going and friendly people of New Zealand to the equation and it is easy to understand that to live and work in New Zealand could be a dream come true.
There are a variety of visas that will allow you to start a new life in New Zealand. The good news is that New Zealand is actively looking for new talented workers from overseas. The bad news is that New Zealand only accepts a small quantity of visas per country and you must ensure you apply at the correct time so you don’t miss out.
Temporary Work Visas
There are two main kinds of temporary work visas in New Zealand The Working Holiday Visa has a duration of one or two years. If you are aged between 18 and 30 (or 35 for some countries) you could apply for New Zealand’s Working Holiday visa. This visa is an agreement between New Zealand and other countries that can allow you to work or study for up to one year in New Zealand. The Working Holiday visa also allows you to work in any job or study any topic you wish to while you are in New Zealand. Some countries have quotas to amounts of visas that are available for each country therefore it is important to check if your country has one. You can check this at immigration New Zealand
Essential Skills Work Visa
This visa allows you to stay in New Zealand for a period of one to five years. To be eligible you need to have been offered a full time job in New Zealand. Your employer must check that before you are offered the job if any New Zealanders were available to do the work on offer. If you are successful in obtaining the Essential Skills Work Visa for New Zealand, you could also be eligible to support visa applications for your partner or your children if you have them.
Skilled Migrant Visa Category
If you have the appropriated qualifications, skills and experience that New Zealand requires you may be able to apply for a Resident Visa under the Skilled Migrant Category. This visa is allocated on a points system which is factored on age, qualifications, work experience, and an offer of skilled employment. To apply for this visa you must be under the age of 55, meet the character and health requirements and have a sound understanding of the English language.
Want to permanently stay in New Zealand?
If you really enjoy living in New Zealand and would like to make it your home it is a possibility. Once you have been in the country for 2 years on a Work to Residence visa, you may be able to apply for residence status under the Residence from Work Category. If you are successful and obtain residency it means that you would be able to live in New Zealand for as long as you wanted and be able to access most of the publicly funded services.
Workers needed in these areas
You have more of a chance of staying in New Zealand if you are skilled in a job that is on the New Zealand’s long term skill shortage list. LongTermSkillShortageListWorkVisaImmigrationNewzealand If you have held a position for two years that is on the long term skill shortage list your chances of being granted full time residency can increase.
New Zealand Investor Visa
If you have spare cash to invest in New Zealand or a rich relative you could be eligible for an Investor visa. There are two categories:
Investor 1 (minimum investment NZ$10 million for at least three years) and
Investor 2 (minimum investment NZ$3 million for at least four years)
New Zealand life