Republic of Korea Special Work Visa — Support a candidate's visa application
You may be able to bring someone from the Republic of Korea to New Zealand to work for you if you can offer a full-time job in an occupation that is considered special work under the Republic of Korea Special Work Visa.
What an employer needs to do
Job offer
You must provide a written employment agreement, which your candidate will need to support their application.
When your candidate applies for a visa, they must provide a copy of a written employment agreement, which must:
- be for one of the occupations considered special work under the Republic of Korea Special Instructions
- be for at least 30 hours a week and be ongoing for at least 12 months
- include a full job description, terms and conditions for the job, and your contact details
- comply with New Zealand employment law.
Note
The following occupations are considered special work under the Korea Special Work visa:
Biomedical engineer, food technologist, forest scientist, Korean language instructor, Korean tour guide, multimedia designer (film animator), Taekwondo instructor, traditional Korean medicine doctor, software engineer, and veterinarian.
Employer responsibilities and obligations
You must meet the minimum rights and obligations as an employer.
As an employer, this means:
- paying the same market rate you would pay a New Zealander to do the work
- meeting holiday and leave requirements
- providing a safe workplace.
Employee rights and responsibilities — Employment New Zealand
What happens next
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Step 1: Provide a job offer
To employ someone under the Republic of Korea Special Work Visa, you will first have to provide a job offer in an occupation that is considered special work under the Republic of Korea Special Work Instructions.
If you are offering work as a veterinarian, your candidate will need New Zealand registration. Your candidate can apply to the New Zealand Veterinary Council for their registration, which they will need before they can apply for a work visa.
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Step 2: Candidate applies for a work visa
Your candidate will need to apply for a visa to allow them to work for you.
For us to process their visa application, they must send us all the information we ask for, including a copy of their job offer and evidence they have the necessary, qualifications and/or experience to do the work they have been offered. If they will be working as a veterinarian, we also need to see their New Zealand registration.
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Step 3: Wait for a decision
We make a decision about your candidate's application as soon as we can. Find out how long these visas usually take to decide, in our Fees, decision times and where to apply tool.
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Step 4: Employee starts work
Your candidate must be granted a visa before they can start working for you.
Once their visa is granted, they have 6 months to arrive in New Zealand.
Your employee will only be able to work for you doing the special work they have been brought to New Zealand to do. They will not be allowed to work for anyone else or do any other work, even if that work is for you.
Prepare for when your workers from overseas arrive
Get organised before your new employee arrives in New Zealand. Put together information to help them settle into your workplace and life in New Zealand.From the first contact with your new employee to the time they arrive in New Zealand, be positive but realistic. Do not promise anything that you or New Zealand cannot deliver. You will only set migrants up for disappointment if life in New Zealand is not what they expected.
You can help your new migrant workers to prepare for work and life in a new country through giving them the information they need.
Some information is best provided before they leave and some when they arrive.
Much of this preparation will only need to be done once. If you hire migrant workers in the future, you will be very well prepared.
Where to start
If you are unsure of what things to consider, our checklist will prompt you with ways you can help your migrant employee. It includes things to do before they arrive, upon their arrival and during their first days at work.
Prepare information for your new staff
It pays to prepare some tailored content for your new migrant staff. If you don’t already have it, you may want to create:
- an orientation programme to introduce your workplace
- a welcome kit with local information about the region, accommodation and transport information.
You could also prepare existing staff for your new migrant employee by announcing their upcoming arrival on your website or staff communication channels, for example, noticeboards.
Use our resources to help your new staff
Send your new staff links to our tools and online resources to help your them plan their move before they leave their home country.
NZ Ready planning tool
Moving to a new country can be a daunting task for your new employee. The best way to help your new employee with their move is to guide them to NZ Ready, Immigration New Zealand’s free online planning tool. This tool asks a series of questions that will help them to create a comprehensive personalised to do list to follow.
Get ready for New Zealand — NZ Ready
Cost of living calculator
What it costs to live in New Zealand may be quite different from a migrant's home country. This tool helps migrants to understand the cost of living in various parts of New Zealand.
Think beyond the workplace
Provide information about life in New Zealand during the recruitment process. Your new employee needs to know what to expect in relation to:
- basics of life in New Zealand such as housing and healthcare
- schooling and employment opportunities for their partner and children
- community support available.
A happy, settled family makes for a happy and productive employee who is more likely to remain loyal to you.