What Makes The New Zealand Working Holiday Visa The Best Option for Canadians?

Dreaming of working in New Zealand? You will get access to a host of IT, engineering, medical, and finance jobs along with the much-balanced Kiwi climate. Working holiday visas are offered by a number of countries around the world but what makes the New Zealand WHV so lucrative?

The New Zealand WHV is your chance to explore, work, and grow in this country of stunning landscapes. This is a step above a regular tourist visa which does not allow visitors to seek job opportunities during their stay. With a Working Holiday visa, you will be able to not only boost your resume with international experience but also discover new long-term career opportunities in New Zealand.

This blog post looks at the preparations you need to make before you move to New Zealand from Canada. We will also be doing a quick overview of the Working Holiday Visa application process before providing you with the exact steps that you need to follow to get an RCMP check for your visa. 

You must be wondering if you should apply for your visa or get a job first. It is better to get your visa first, as most employers ask if you have the right to work in New Zealand. Having a visa will boost your chances of landing your dream job without getting rejected just because you are not legally allowed to work in the country. While the age requirement for most of the countries is 18-30, Canadians under the age of 35 can apply to work in New Zealand for up to 12 months.

Do keep in mind that you will only have a 6-12 month period to enter New Zealand after your visa is issued. Failure to do so might result in the cancellation of your visa without any fee refunds.

Your choice of visa depends on your age and the length of your intended stay in New Zealand. Canadian applicants over the age of 35 are not eligible for the Working Holiday visa so they have to choose from the other available options, such as a Skilled Migrant Visa.

For instance, you can apply for a Care Workforce visa if you are a health professional. This is a Work to Residence visa offering you a unique chance to apply for New Zealand residency after 24 months. To be eligible, a valid job offer for an employment period of at least 12 months is required. 

You can get a Straight to Residence visa if you have a job offer or if you are currently working for an approved organization in New Zealand. This visa type is only available for professionals who belong to Tier 1 of in-demand fields.  

The Transport Work to Residence visa is offered to skilled workers from Canada and other countries to make up for the growing demands of the New Zealand transport industry. A valid job offer and verification of your relevant skills/qualifications will be required to process your application. 

The New Zealand immigration website mentions the eligible age bracket for Canadians as 18 to 35 inclusively. Inclusively means that you can apply anytime between your 18th and 36th birthday. Since the Working Holiday is an individual visa type, you will not be able to bring a dependent or your spouse along. They will have to submit their application separately and prepare their file accordingly. Here is a list of requirements for this visa:

• Submit a medical certificate and purchase health insurance that will fully cover your entire stay in New Zealand.
• Provide financial records to prove that you have enough funds to support your stay.
• A Canadian national police check from the RCMP.
• Applicants who have previously been allotted a Working Holiday visa are ineligible to apply.

We highly recommend you make full use of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it comes with its set of limitations. For example, you are not allowed to accept a permanent job offer while you are still in New Zealand on a Working Holiday visa. You can enroll in educational programs but their duration cannot be longer than 6 months. Lastly, you will be required to enter New Zealand within 1 year of being granted the visa. Failure to do so results in visa cancellation and re-submission of your application is not allowed.  

You can use Globeia’s RCMP check service to apply for your Canadian police check. This is one of the key New Zealand Working Holiday visa requirements as the immigration department will need to verify your criminal background before issuing you the visa. We also offer Canadian apostille services to legalize your RCMP check for New Zealand as both Canada and New Zealand are Hague Convention member countries.