The Ultimate Guide on New Zealand Working Holiday Visa

Working Holiday Visa (WHV) is a type of visa which allows you to be employed during your visit in another country. If you want to work in New Zealand, you can apply for a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa, which is an agreement between New Zealand and other countries that could allow you work or study in New Zealand for about one year. You will be able to earn money with that and this type of visa gives you a chance to experience the life in New Zealand. Working Holiday Visa is longer than a standard visitor’s visa, which lets you stay for nine months out of an 18 month period – unless you’re from a visa waiver country. If you successfully get New Zealand Working Holiday Visa, you will be able to travel and work there for up to 12 months. For citizens from UK or Canada, they can stay in New Zealand for up to 23 months with Working Holiday Visa.

Who Can Go to New Zealand With a Working Holiday Visa ?

Applicants from the following countries are eligible to apply for New Zealand Working Holiday Visas.

Eligibility for Applying for the New Zealand Working Holiday Visa 

If you want to apply for the New Zealand Working Holiday Visa, you must ensure you have met the conditions listed below.

• You must have good health.
• You must have a clean criminal record.
• You must have a genuine commitment to comply with the terms of your visa.
• You must be aged between18 – 30 (the age requirement ranges among different countries. For example, in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Czech, Finland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Uruguay, the age requirement is 18 – 35).
• You must have a ticket to leave New Zealand.
• You must have sufficient money to support your stay in New Zealand.
• You must not have participated in the working holiday program for New Zealand before.
• You must have full medical coverage for the entire duration of your stay.
• Documents Need to be Prepared When Applying for the Working Holiday Visa

What You Need for the Working Holiday Visa Application?

When apply for the Working Holiday Visa, you have to prepare following documents first:

Valid passport

When applying for the Working Holiday Visa, you have to make sure you have a valid passport. When you first enter New Zealand, immigration officials will check your passport, so it’s meaningful to make sure your passport will be valid for at least 15 months beyond your arrival date. 

Evidence of good health

When applying for the Working Holiday Visa, you need to take a medical examination to prove your good health. The immigration office will notice you to provide the medical documents via e-mail.

Evidence of good character

To prove that you have a clean criminal record, you need to provide the police certificate to show that you have a good character.

A return ticket to leave New Zealand

You need to purchase a returning travel ticket or provide proof you have sufficient money to buy a ticket out of New Zealand.

Documents that prove you have sufficient funds

You must provide following documents to prove you have a minimum of NZ $4,200 for your stay:

1. bank statements
2. credit card statements
3. bank drafts
4. travelers’ cheques

Medical insurance proof

 A comprehensive medical insurance for your entire stay in New Zealand is mandatory. This insurance should cover hospitalization, and you need to provide a copy of your insurance certificate and an approval letter from your insurance company in your application.

How to Apply for a Working Holiday Visa Online?

Step 1: Create an account. 

To apply for a Working Holiday Visa, you must fill in the online application available on the official website of your own country. At first, you need to create a RealMe  account to begin the application process.

Step 2: Upload the required documents. 

After creating the account, you need to upload the documents needed for a New Zealand Working Holiday visa in the application. You need to make sure that all supporting documents are uploaded in PDF format and comply with the maximum file size limit specified by the application system.

Step 3: Pay the application fee. 

When applying for the Working Holiday Visa, you also need to pay the application fee by using a credit or debit card (Visa, MasterCard, or UnionPay) and enter the payment details. Once the payment has been successfully processed, you will receive a confirmation email. It’s important to keep a copy of this confirmation email or receipt for your records. The price for application is NZD $455, which includes a NZD $35 immigration levy. This fee is non-refundable if your visa application is rejected. 

Step 4: Submit the online application and wait for the result.

After submitting the online application, you just need to wait for the result. The whole process may take 36 days. You can log in to Online Services to check the updated status of your application. Once the application is approved, you will receive a New Zealand Working Holiday visa letter.

What Kind of Work Can You Do With a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa?

With the Working Holiday Visa, you can apply for the job in New Zealand only if theses jobs are not permanent. There is a great demand for the hotel working staff and positions in the tourism industry, which is more obvious in large cities. If you successfully get the Working Holiday Visa, you can choose work such as orchard work, vineyard work, hostel work, tourism and so on.

Other Countries that Have Working Holiday Visa

There are more than 60 countries that offer Working Holiday Visa in the world including USA, Canada. Most working holiday visas allow you to stay in the country about one year. Some of the best countries that issue working holiday visas include Australia, Ireland, Japan, France, Argentina, Austria, New Zealand, Germany, Israel, Italy, South Korea and China Hong Kong. Among them, Australia is the most popular destination for working holiday. In 2019 and 2020, around 150,000 working holiday visas were granted in total. 

Conclusion

Working Holiday Visa provides the chance to experience the culture, traditions, and ways of life in another country. To apply for the a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa, you need to make sure you have met the conditions listed above and prepare the necessary documents for the application. 

Further Readings

What Is Digital Nomad Visa and How to Apply for It?