Personnel Relocation to New Zealand

Persons who live in other countries can relocate for work purposes in New Zealand. There are many types of visas, issued for different types of employees.

Some of the work visas require the sponsorship of the future employer in New Zealand, while others, do not. Foreigners can arrive here without having a secured job and find one in a given period of time, or they can migrate to New Zealand after negotiating a work contract.

There is also the possibility for personnel relocation to New Zealand, where a foreign employee working in a company abroad relocates here for the purpose of developing the same or a similar or work activity.

Our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can help foreigners understand their main visa options. Thus, all persons interested in employee relocation to New Zealand can address our team.

What visa can be used for intra-company transfer in New Zealand?

The law on immigration in New Zealand provides the opportunity for personnel relocation to New Zealand, in the sense that an employee of a company working abroad can come here for employment.

However, there are certain conditions that must be satisfied, such as:

1. the employee must migrate to New Zealand from a multi-national that has an office in this country;
2. only certain categories of employees can apply, such as managers and other top responsibility jobs;
3. the visa can also be available for persons who qualify as seniors in a company (measured by the years of experience in a certain work activity).

These requirements are applicable when the foreigner wants to obtain a Specific Purpose Work Visa. There are many other work visas available here, but this one can be used for personnel relocation to New Zealand on an intra-company transfer basis.

The visa is not just for intra-company transfer purposes, as it can be used in a variety of ways, and our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can offer more details.

How can a foreigner apply for the Specific Purpose Work Visa?

The procedure that must be followed when applying for this visa type varies in accordance with the rules prescribed by the law on immigration to New Zealand.

The law regulates many options through which a foreigner can apply for this visa (it can be requested by businessmen, senior employees, coaches, judges, referees, etc.), thus, the rules, rights and benefits can vary accordingly.

For those interested in employee relocation to New Zealand, the following will apply:

• persons who qualify as senior employees or specialists who have a suitable job offer in New Zealand must complete the Employer Supplementary Form (INZ 1113);
• for most of the applicants, the visa is issued for a period of 12 months;
• foreign employees who qualify as business people who are transferred from one company to another can obtain the visa for a period of 3 years;
• applicants will need to pay a processing fee of $735 (for online applications), paid to the New Zealand Immigration Office;
• the average processing time of the visa is of 11 days, but most of the applications are completed in a period of 31 days.

Please mind that a part of the visa fee includes the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy, which accounts for $35. This fee is included in most of the visas that can be granted here.

You must know that even if the application for personnel relocation in New Zealand is denied, the immigration authorities will not refund the $35 fee.

You can request legal assistance from our immigration lawyer in New Zealand in the case in which you want to know your rights if a visa is denied (all foreigners in this situation are entitled to an appeal).

This, of course, applies to visas for employee relocation to New Zealand and other types of work visas.