Working in NZ

[Canny Lad]

Hi Everyone,
It's been a while since I last posted. Basically I emigrated (for the second time) in November last year to Rotorua. Absolutely loving the place here. Fabulous. Wife and kids (all on Kiwi passports) all settled and having a great time. It's not all been plain sailing, but well worth it.

A friend of mine wants to sample the kiwi life. He's a young chap and I can probably help him get started with some part time work. What I would like to know is:

1. What does he need to do (I guess he needs to put in a work visa application)?
2. How long does it take to get the visa?
3. Can he come out here first as a tourist, do some work and then get a work visa?

Any help with the info, timelines and any short cuts (all above board) would be awesome. Thanks everyone!

Kind regards,

Canny Lad

[sks]

He can't work legally as a tourist, so he'd need to get a Working Holiday Visa (assuming he's young enough of a "young chap" to qualify). He can't apply for a work visa without a job offer already in place, and it seems unlikely that your offer of part-time work to get him started would allow you to sponsor him for a work visa directly -- others having experience with work visas will chime in, I'm sure.

[JandM]

Agreed.

Nobody can work without a visa, and 'work' has a wide interpretation for INZ, including being given your keep in return for helping out.

Here's the detail about WHVs - what you can get depends on which country you're from. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...orkingholiday/ If he's British and over 30, he could still use the BUNAC IEP visa. http://www.bunac.org/uk/work-abroad/...-zealand/visas

Either a WHV or BUNAC visa would entitle him to start working on any job he was offered. If he wants a longer term job, he'd need to qualify for an ordinary temporary work visa. The requirements are here. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra.../requirements/ It's not possible to get a temporary work visa without the offer of a job.

If you look up http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...or.htm?level=1 where the nearest INZ office is to where he's going to be staying, you can google "NZ immigration (whichever branch) processing times" to find their current average time for processing a work visa.