Specific Purpose or Event Work Visa — Support a candidate's visa application
If you want to bring someone for a limited time for a specific purpose or event. The person you engage or employ will need to have skills and expertise that will benefit New Zealand.
To support your candidate's visa application, you must:
- provide a job offer, letter of invitation or schedule of events that shows the amount of time they need to be in New Zealand
- provide a completed employer supplementary form, if you are providing paid employment
- provide a guarantee that you will cover the cost of your candidate’s return home if they are unable to
- comply with New Zealand employment law.
This option helps you:
- support someone to apply for a Specific Purpose Work Visa
- hire someone from overseas to work for a specific purpose or event – this includes seasonal jobs, some business purposes, contract services, sports and entertainment events.
Your candidate can apply for a Specific Purpose Work Visa if they are coming to New Zealand for an acceptable specific purpose or event.
The evidence they need to provide to support their visa application depends on what purpose or event they need to be in New Zealand for, and for how long.
- pay at least NZD $23.15 an hour (the New Zealand minimum wage), and
- be for at least 30 hours each week.
- be an accredited employer
- give the worker an offer of employment, and
- complete an Employer Supplementary Form (INZ 1113) — you must give this to your candidate to include with their application.
- evidence of a job offer that complies with New Zealand employment law
- terms of the secondment, including duration
- a completed Employer Supplementary Form (INZ 1113).
- a job offer
- terms of the secondment, including duration.
- provide the player or coach with a job offer
- complete an Employer Supplementary Form (INZ 1113) — you must give this to your candidate to include with their application.
- evidence of a job offer from a District Health Board
- evidence of acceptance for the Nursing Council's Competence Assessment Programme.
- have an an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), and
- are reaching their maximum continuous stay on or before 30 November 2025 — this is how long someone can stay on 1 or more AEWVs, and
- are working in, or progressing into, 1 of 30 new occupations on the National Occupation List (NOL), and
- have at least 3 years' relevant experience or a qualification at level 4 or higher on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF).
- be an accredited employer
- give them a genuine offer of employment
- complete an Employer Supplementary Form (INZ 1113) — you must give this to your candidate to include with their application.
- which are likely to benefit individuals or New Zealand, and
- where there is no risk of a negative impact on opportunities for New Zealanders.
- give them a job offer
- complete an Employer Supplementary Form (INZ 1113) — you must give this to your candidate to include with their application.
- evidence of the specific purpose or event that you will be undertaking in New Zealand
- evidence that satisfies an immigration officer that the nature of the work or the circumstances surrounding the work are such that it is not possible or appropriate
- for a New Zealand citizen or resident to take up the work
- evidence they have enough money to cover their costs while you are in New Zealand.
If you have offered someone overseas a job that relates to seasonal activity or for a seasonal peak, they can apply for a Specific Purpose Work Visa.
The job you have offered must:
The person you have offered the job to must have at least 4 months' work experience. Their work experience must be in a job with the same tasks or responsibilities as the one you have offered.
You must:
A person can apply if they are a senior or specialist business person on a short-term secondment who have a job offer with a substantial New Zealand company or a New Zealand subsidiary of an overseas company.
You must provide the worker:
During their application, the worker must provide evidence they are an executive or senior manager or specialist personnel. They must also provide evidence they have enough money to cover their costs while they are in New Zealand.
A business person can apply if they are being transferred from one part of a multinational company to another in New Zealand as an executive or senior manager, or specialist personnel.
You must provide the worker:
During their application, they will need to provide evidence they are an executive or senior manager or specialist personnel. They must also provide evidence they have enough money to cover their costs while they are in New Zealand.
A person can apply if they are coming to New Zealand to referee or judge sports events, shows, displays or exhibitions.
You must provide them with an invitation or schedule of events. It must set out how long they will be in New Zealand.
During their application, they must also provide evidence they have enough money to cover their costs while they are in New Zealand.
A person can apply if they are coming to New Zealand as a dance and music examiner from a recognised international teaching institution.
You must provide them with an invitation or schedule of events. It must set out how long they will be in New Zealand.
During their application, they must also provide evidence they have enough money to cover their costs while they are in New Zealand.
A person can apply if they are a sports player or professional sports coach taking up a paid position in a New Zealand sports club.
You must:
If they are not a professional player, they will need to provide evidence of the terms of the engagement with the club.
A person can apply if they are a Philippines nurse coming to New Zealand to get occupational registration.
You must complete an Employer Supplementary Form (INZ 1113) and give it to your candidate to include with their application.
They will also need to provide:
A person can apply if they:
For the list of eligible jobs:
National Occupation List occupations used for an AEWV or SPWV
To support their visa, you must:
They must apply between 8 September 2025 and 2 November 2025.
From 3 November, you can apply for a job check based on the new NOL occupation. People with an AEWV working in, or transiting to, 1 of the new roles can then apply for a new AEWV.
Note
They must be working in a job and doing work that closely matches the responsibilities of the higher skill level occupation. For example, someone has an AEWV as a Forestry Worker. They cannot apply for a Specific Purpose Work Visa as a Forestry Supervisor unless their skills and the job's responsibilities and requirements match a Forestry Supervisor.
Someone can apply if they need to come to New Zealand for any other specific purpose or event they have demonstrated the skills, expertise or attributes for:
If you are employing someone for any other specific purpose or event, you must:
They will also need to provide:
Specific purposes and events that do not require support from an employer or organisation
If you are employing or engaging someone who is applying for a Specific Purpose Work Visa for one of these reasons, they do not require specific information from you.
- Business people in New Zealand for more than 3 months.
- Contractual services suppliers and independent professionals from the United Kingdom.
- Contractual services suppliers and independent professionals from the European Union.
- People working in the entertainment industry.
- Installers or servicers of specialised machinery or equipment supplied by an overseas company.
- Principal applicants investigating investment opportunities for investor visas.
- Principal applicants applying for an Entrepreneur Residence Visa.
They may request other information from you to support their application.
For more information about what they need to provide:
Specific Purpose Work Visa
How long a person can stay
How long someone can stay in New Zealand on a Specific Purpose Work Visa depends on the event or specific purpose they need to complete.
Applying for another Specific Purpose Work Visa
If they already have a Specific Purpose Work Visa, they may be able to apply for another one.
They cannot apply for another Specific Purpose Work Visa if their visa was granted for these specific purpose or event types:
- Contractors and professionals from the United Kingdom and European Union
- Dance and music examiners
- Entrepreneur Residence Visa applicants
- Nurses from the Philippines coming for occupational registration
- People doing business in New Zealand for more than 3 months
- People with an AEWV working in, or progressing into, a new NOL role between 8 September and 2 November 2025
- Referees or judges
- Sports players and professional sports coaches.
How to support a candidate to apply for a Specific Purpose Work Visa
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Step 1: Provide your candidate with the information they need
To bring someone to New Zealand under this visa, you will first have to provide a job offer. Your candidate will need to provide this to support their visa application.
Check the list of specific purpose or events to see if a candidate requires specific information or support from you.
If they need a job offer, letter of invitation or schedule of events
To bring someone to New Zealand under this visa, you will first have to provide a job offer, letter of invitation or schedule of events.
Your candidate will need to provide this to support their visa application.
Your offer, letter or schedule must:
- set out the length of time your candidate needs to be in New Zealand for the specific purpose or event
- describe the specific purpose or event your candidate will be in New Zealand for.
Include your guarantee that you will cover the cost of your candidate’s return home, if they are unable to.
If they need an Employer Supplementary Form
Complete an Employer Supplementary Form (INZ 1113) if required.
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Step 2: Candidate applies for a work visa
Each candidate must apply for a visa to allow them to work for you.
They must include any required evidence from you in the application. For example:
- a copy of their job offer, letter of invitation or schedule of events you provided them
- a completed Employer Supplementary Form.
They must meet all of the other requirements of the Specific Purposes Work Visa, including the good character, health and genuine intentions requirements.
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Step 3: Wait for a decision
We make a decision about your candidate’s application as soon as we can.
Check our Fees, decision times and where to apply tool to find out how long these visas usually take.
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Step 4: Check that your candidate can work for you
You must check the people you hire are allowed to work in New Zealand.