WTR or JSV and working for a foreign company. Is it possible?

[mehara]

Hi all,

I am living in Auckland and searching for a proper job in order to convert my WTR visa to Residency.
I may have chance to get a job offer from a large American company located in the USA to work for them from NZ in IT area. Type of job is skilled and could be permanent.
I want to know if working for a non-NZ company but inside NZ is acceptable for INZ to approve my WTR visa to residency application.

Is there any similar experience? Any idea or comment will be highly appreciated.

[Karen Phillips]

Hi. I am assuming that you are on a SMC Job Search Visa at present (there are quite a few categories in WTR). If you have "an offer of skilled employment in NZ" that is full-time (more than 30 hours a week) and permanent, this should be fine. If the work is skilled and you are working in NZ, albeit for an American company I can see no reason why this would not be acceptable. See the INZ Ops manual SM7.10.1. However, I am not 100% sure, so if I were you, I would send an email to my Case Officer or call into one of the INZ branches in INZ and ask them directly. Good luck! Karen