If the person you wish to employ is in New Zealand already, they will need to qualify for one of the available work visa categories.

Some of these categories do not require any support from a NZ employer, but the following ones will require employer support:

1. Essential Skills Policy visa - this category is designed to fill skilled employment shortages NZ employers are experiencing. Some of these are already recognised as immediate or long term shortages, and for those that are not, evidence of your difficulty to find suitable people will be required.
2. Study to Work category - the Graduate Work Experience Visa is for new graduates and this visa application will require evidence that the job offered to the new graduate is relevant to the qualification they have gained in New Zealand.
3. Work to Residence - there are five categories included in this program, one of which will require you to become an Accredited Employer.
4. Specific Purpose/Event and Student/Trainee Work visas - these are more specialised types of applications, which have a specific list of requirements and only apply to selected groups of people.

As an employer, you will need to complete the Employer Supplementary form, which your potential employee needs to attach to their work application.

If you wish to bring in an employee from overseas, but have not yet hired a particular person you may submit an approval in principle request to your nearest office first.

If granted, the approval in principle can then be attached to an application for a work visa made by an applicant overseas and will speed up the processing of their application.

Further information on employing overseas persons can be found in the Employers section of our website.

The Guide for employers is also a good source of quick reference material, as it is in a booklet form.

Employers in Canterbury Region

If you are employing a person from overseas to work in the Canterbury region, please note you may be required to use the Canterbury Skills and Employment Hub. For more information on the Hub and how to use it, please refer to the Skills Hub pages or the Hub information page on our website.