How to Get a Care Job in New Zealand: Step-by-Step Guide (2025)

 

Visiting or moving to NZ

Find out about visas for holiday, study or work in New Zealand. Learn about arrival and departure requirements, and how to stay safe and healthy during your visit.

• Apply for a work visa

  If you’re planning to work in New Zealand and you’re not a citizen or permanent resident of NZ or Australia, you’ll need a visa that lets you work.

• Apply for a working holiday visa

  New Zealand has agreements with many countries that allow people aged 18-35 to stay here for a year or more — the main reason should be tourism, with work or study as secondary activities.

• Working in NZ for up to 3 months

  Some types of visitor visas allow you to work in New Zealand for up to 3 months.

• Working in NZ after you study

  After you’ve finished studying in New Zealand, you can apply for a visa that lets you stay here to work. Some students can work in NZ because of what they’re studying in another country.

• Working in NZ for more than 3 months

  Depending on your skills, where you come from, your age and other factors you may be able to work in New Zealand temporarily for more than 3 months.

• Visas for workers from specific countries

  New Zealand has special arrangements with some countries to let their citizens work here. Some visas recognise your skills and experience, while others let you learn out about our lifestyle and culture.

• Working here if your partner is in NZ

  Find out if you can get a visa to work in New Zealand. Your partner needs to have a work, student or Military visa or be a New Zealand citizen or resident.

• Work that leads to residence

  If you’re 55 or younger and want to live in New Zealand (NZ) permanently, you can apply for a resident visa, or a work visa that leads to residence after working here for 2 years.

• • Check if you need an NZeTA or a visitor visa

    If you come to New Zealand on a holiday, you may need to get an NZeTA or a visitor visa.

  • How to apply for a visitor visa

    If you come to New Zealand on a holiday, you might need to apply for a visitor visa before you arrive. Work out what you need to do to apply.

  • How to request an NZeTA

    Find out how to request an NZeTA (New Zealand electronic Travel Authority) and how much it costs. Allow 72 hours for your request to be processed.

  • How to pay the International Visitor Levy

    Most people visiting New Zealand for a short period of time must pay the NZD$100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL).

  • Job hunting

    Discover jobs that would suit you, find and apply for vacancies, and prepare for interviews.

  • Government jobs

    Search for jobs in government, sign up for job alerts and find out how to apply for government vacancies.

  • When you get a job offer

    Before you accept a job, you need to agree on your pay, hours and working conditions. You can apply for money to help pay the costs of starting a new job.

  • Trial periods

    A trial period is a timeframe that employers can use to find out if you are suitable for a job. An employer can dismiss you and you cannot raise a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal if the trial period was valid.

  • Joining KiwiSaver when you start work(external link)

    When you start a new job, you'll automatically be enrolled in KiwiSaver if you're eligible and not a member already. You can also join through your current employer or directly with a provider.

  • Apply for a work visa

    If you're planning to work in New Zealand and you’re not a citizen or permanent resident of NZ or Australia, you’ll need a visa that lets you work.

  • Apply for a working visa

    New Zealand has agreements with many countries that allow people aged 18-35 to stay here for a year or more — the main reason should be tourism, with work or study as secondary activities.

  • Who can apply

  • Eligibility for a working holiday visa

    To apply for a working holiday visa you must:

    • be a citizen of a country with a working holiday visa agreement
    • be aged between 18-30, or 18-35 for select countries
    • meet other visa conditions — some may be specific to your country’s visa arrangement with NZ.

    Check if your country has a visa agreement

    Before you apply, visit the Immigration New Zealand (INZ) website to:

    • see a list of countries with a working holiday visa agreement — Working holiday visas(external link), or
    • search for a visa by name, for example, ‘USA working holiday visa’ — New Zealand visas(external link).

    How to apply

    You can apply online for most work visas. There are a few visas that you need to fill in a printed application form for, including some country-specific work visas.

    Visas you must apply for only online or only on paper — Immigration NZ(external link)

    Apply online for a work visa

    For most work visas, you need to set up a New Zealand Government RealMe® account before you start your application.

  • General conditions

    Conditions will vary depending on your country of citizenship but generally you must:

  • prove your identity — with a valid passport
  • be in good health and of good character
  • genuinely intend to meet the conditions of your visa
  • be between the specified age range
  • be a citizen of the country the visa is for
  • have a ticket to leave NZ — or enough money to buy one
  • have enough money to live on while in NZ
  • not have had approval for this visa before — you cannot apply twice.

  • Employment conditions

    While you’re on a NZ working holiday visa:

    • you must not accept a permanent job offer
    • you must pay tax on your income.

    Paying tax if you come to work in NZ

  • Find a job

    Find seasonal work based on the months you want to work or location you want to stay, on the Live and Work New Zealand website:

    • calendar — seasonal work by month(external link)
    • map — seasonal work by region(external link).

    Find job websites that advertise student and seasonal work on the Work and Income website:

    Where to look for jobs — Work and Income(external link)

    Problems with your employer

    If you or someone you know is being exploited, or you’ve witnessed a breach of employment law, report it anonymously on the Employment NZ (ENZ) website.

    Report a breach of employment law or exploitation — ENZ(external link)

    If you want to resolve a workplace issue informally, use ENZ’s early resolution service.

    Early resolution — contract or relationship problems — ENZ(external link)

    Read more about migrant exploitation on the INZ website.

    Migrant exploitation — INZ(external link)

    Study for up to 6 months

    You can study 1 or more courses for up to 6 months on the New Zealand working holiday visa.

    Check out the following resources for information about studying English, short-term courses, fees and other costs.

  • Learning English — Live and Work in NZ(external link)
  • Study and training options — Careers.govt.nz(external link)
  • Tuition fees and cost of living — Study with New Zealand

  • Extending your working holiday visa

    You cannot renew a working holiday visa, but you may be able to extend your visa another:

    • 3 months — if you’ve completed 3 months of seasonal work
    • 11 months — if you’re on a Canada Working Holiday Visa
    • 24 months — if you’re on a UK Working Holiday Visa.

    Seasonal Work — Working Holiday Extension Work Visa — INZ(external link)

    Canada and UK — INZ 1223 Working Holiday Scheme Subsequent Work Visa Application (PDF 1MB) —INZ(external link)

    Applying for a different visa

    Visit the INZ website for a list of the visas that allow you to:

    • visit(external link)
    • study(external link)
    • work(external link)
    • invest or start a business(external link)
    • live in NZ(external link).

    You can also use the Immigration NZ tool to explore and select a visa.

    Explore and select a visa — INZ

  • To Apply VISA