The New Zealand government has decided to permit for a limited time the entry of more foreign seasonal workers. The country is confronted to labour shortages in the type of work seasonal workers normally perform. New Zealand hopes to draw more temporary workers by softening its visa rules slightly.

Seasonal work in New Zealand

For many years, New Zealand has been a popular destination for foreign seasonal workers. In fact, a number of sectors in the New Zealand economy have become to a large extent dependent on foreign labour. This is the case of the agricultural sector, viticulture sector and horticulture sector. Thus, New Zealand authorities have introduced a series of special visas which make it easier for foreign workers to work temporarily in New Zealand. These types of visa are normally valid only until the end of the season, when the work in those specific sectors is completed.

Introduction of a new type of temporary visa

In August 2024, the New Zealand immigration authorities made public the creation of a new visa type within the Specific Purpose Work Visa. This visa allows foreigners to work for in New Zealand for an event or other type of work that is temporary in nature. Until recently, this visa did not allow seasonal work.

The Specific Purpose Work Visa has a price of 1,355 New Zealand dollars (about EUR 750). The average processing time is about four weeks, although in certain cases, it can take longer for the visa to be granted. The visa is valid as long as the temporary work lasts, up to a maximum of nine months.

Requirements of the Specific Purpose Work Visa

A series of requirements should be met in order to qualify for this new visa type. For example, the seasonal work to be performed in New Zealand must be affected by weather conditions, like planting trees or harvesting certain crops. Certain jobs in horticulture, viticulture and fishing are not included in this visa type if it is already possible to apply for other types of visa. Other important requirements are:

• The work to be done with this visa can last a maximum of 9 months
• The work must start before 1 June 2025
• Seasonal workers must work at least 30 hours per week
• Seasonal workers must earn at least 29.66 New Zealand dollars per hour (approx. EUR 16.50)
• Seasonal workers must have at least 4 months of work experience in a similar position

The employer must also comply with a number of formalities in New Zealand. Firstly, they must be officially recognised by the New Zealand Immigration Department, and the seasonal work vacancy must be posted first on a website aimed at New Zealanders. This way, New Zealanders have the chance to apply for the job first. Only if no New Zealand workers are found after two weeks, foreign seasonal workers may be recruited. The employer will have to make an official job offer to the seasonal worker, in which all the information about the seasonal work, as well as personal details of the employer and employee, are clearly stated.

The Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited Visa

Another visa type often used by seasonal workers is the Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited Visa. This visa allows seasonal workers to work in horticulture and viticulture jobs for a short period of time. This visa only allows you to perfom jobs like tending, planting, harvesting or packing crops and has a cost of 325 New Zealand Dollars (about EUR 180). It usually takes a week until the visa is granted.

The New Zealand Immigration department issues only a limited number of Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited Visas every year. Initially, there was a maximum of 19,500 visas, which was later increased by 1,250 to reach an amount of 20,750 visas in early September 2024. By making sure that more seasonal workers come to New Zealand, extras support is given to sectors suffering labour shortage.

On the other hand, some changes have been introduced in order to make the Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited Visa more attractive. For instance, the visa is now a multiple entry visa, which means that seasonal workers are can enter and leave the country multiple times during their working period in New Zealand. This visa also allows them to take training courses in the country, even if they are not directly related to their job. Finally, with this visa, it is easier to change employers and work in different places in the country.

The NZeTA for New Zealand

Visa applications for New Zealand can sometimes take time to be granted. Luckily, travellers who only want to travel to New Zealand for tourism, family visits or business trips don't need to go through a complicated visa process. For these travellers, the NZeTA is a great option. The NZeTA is a digital travel authorisation that can be applied for online in no time. You only need to fill in a few personal details and information about your trip. Also, you need to provide an ID photo of each traveller in good quality.

Once granted, the NZeTA has a validity period of 2 years, unless the passport used to make the application expires before. Travellers may visit New Zealand as many times as they wish within this validity period, but their stay should not exceed three months.

Workers wishing to find a seasonal job in New Zealand should not apply for a NZeTA. Visa applications for seasonal work must be submitted from outside New Zealand.