“We know the success of our seasonal industries is critical to growing the economy. These new visas will make it easier for employers to bring back experienced seasonal workers and to fill short-term roles that are hard to fully staff locally,” Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said in a statement today.
“We are making sure businesses can access the right people at the right time, while also protecting opportunities for Kiwis.”
The Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV) is an up to three-year visa for highly experienced seasonal workers in roles such as rural contracting, sheep scanning, winemaking and snow instruction.
This enables skilled workers to return for subsequent seasons on the same visa. Visa holders would need to spend a minimum of three months out of every 12 months offshore before returning to New Zealand.
The Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV) is a visa of up to seven months for short-term seasonal roles such as meat and seafood processing, calf-rearing and wool handling.
These visa holders would have to have at least one season of previous relevant experience and people will need to leave New Zealand for at least four months before the visa can be renewed. For visa over three months there will be a new requirement for insurance with health coverage.
Stanford said employers must advertise these roles, as well as engage with the Ministry of Social Development to ensure that New Zealand workers continue to be prioritised.
“These visas are designed to reflect the realities of seasonal work and the diverse range of skill levels involved. They’ll help fill critical roles in industries where employers struggle to find enough New Zealand workers at peak times.
“From ski instructors guiding first-timers down the slopes to wine makers helping create next year’s vintage, these visas are designed to keep seasonal industries humming.”
“These changes are part of our plan to deliver smart, flexible and nuanced immigration solutions to help grow our economy.”
Both visa pathways will open for applications on December 8 this year 2025 as subsets of the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and complement the existing Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme, which continues unchanged.
The visas are only available for specified seasonal roles, listed on the Immigration New Zealand website.
The new visas replace the interim seasonal Specific Purpose Work Visa (SPWV), introduced last year as a short-term measure to meet seasonal workforce needs.
The seasonal SPWV allowed stays of up to nine months and was always intended as a temporary solution.
– Allied Media
