New Zealand employers may request an Approval in Principle from the New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS) in order to employ temporary foreign worker(s) as long as they are able to establish that there are no New Zealanders suitably qualified by training or experience available to perform the particular job.

If the applicant you wish to employ is overseas, an Approval in Principle must be requested from the NZIS branch responsible for processing applications from your geographical area in New Zealand.

Once you have provided the appropriate details to the applicant(s) you wish to employ, he/she will need to apply for a Work Visa. You have to complete and submit the application for the employee along with the relevant documentation to the appropriate NZIS branch responsible for processing applications. Once a Work Visa is granted, the employee may apply for a further Work Permit on arrival in New Zealand. The employee will be asked to provide a written offer of employment which outlines job title, description of duties, qualification/ experience required, length of employment, salary and an Approval in Principle letter from the NZIS along with other evidence of his/her qualifications and experience.

Among other categories (i.e. domestic staff of diplomatic and consular personnel, Japanese interpreters, medical and dental personnel for New Zealand hospitals, etc.), Senior executive staff of multinational companies are exempt from obtaining an Approval in Principle and no check needs to be made to see if suitable New Zealanders are available.

Once an applicant is granted a work permit, this is valid for work in New Zealand for a period of up to three years. Further work permits may be granted for the period for which further employment is offered, up to a maximum three years each time. For each period of employment the applicant must meet the relevant work policy requirements, which includes a further labor market test on the part of the employer.